The Adventure Continues
by Katrina-marie325
Summary: Starts from where Season 3 cliffhanger left off--and Malone is included too.
1. Prologue

A/N: This is my first Lost World fanfic. I've only been watching it for about a month, so I don't know the entire history of the show, especially a lot of the third season stuff about the Protector of the Plateau and all of that. So, I'm just going to make up anything I don't know, so please excuse any inaccuracies. Hopefully, I'll still be able to make this a good fic. It takes place at the cliffhanger of Season Three. Please R/R and let me know how I'm doing. Btw, I'm a big Ned/Veronica fan, so look for a romance there. And I promise I won't neglect the M/R pairing.  
  
I disclaim-I don't own these characters.  
  
The four explorers found themselves in great peril. Marguerite Krux stared at the knife that was being raised above her chest, knowing that she was about to become a human sacrifice in an ancient Druid land. "ROXTON!" she screamed wildly. In the Amazon jungle, Conquistadors had captured Lord John Roxton. He closed his eyes, thought of Marguerite, and braced himself for a fate that was not meant for him, but for a distant ancestor. In New Amazonia, armed men in land rovers were in hot pursuit of Finn, and the gunshots they were firing told Finn that they would not take her alive. As she dodged through the jungle, she thought of her Plateau family-the people who had tried to save her from this doom. In a strange technologically ruled future, Professor George Edward Challenger watched helplessly as a scalpel was lowered to his forehead. "I'm sorry, Jessie," he thought, "I guess I won't be making it home after all." And to all of these lives in danger, we must add one more. At a gallows in London, Edward Malone stood on a platform with a rope around his neck, about to be hung for the murders of the other members of the Challenger Expedition. Among the people gathered to watch was Gladys, who was sobbing softly. But Malone's thoughts and regrets were not with. They were in a faraway land that nobody here believed existed. They were with Veronica. "I wanted to make you proud, Veronica. I finally found myself out there, and now I'll never have a chance to show you that I'm worthy of you. I will always love you."  
  
In the tree house, Veronica was surrounded by light. Her palm was burning from the talisman in her hand, but she refused to let it go. "Mother, is this what I'm supposed to do? Am I saving the Plateau, or destroying it?"  
  
Veronica felt a piercing pain in her heart. She knew her friends were near death. No, not her friends-her family. She had to save them. She felt helpless, but her heart filled with love and determination. She opened her mouth to plead with her mother once again, but instead of the words she meant to say, words of a strange tongue flowed from her lips. "Ente Vide Lithos Nostram" Veronica didn't know what she was saying-she had never heard this language before. But she knew in her heart she was doing what she was meant to. She kept chanting that phrase over and over again. The amulet grew hotter, but the burning sensation seemed to subside. Veronica was now bathed in a light so bright that she had to close her eyes tightly as she repeated the words. "Ente Vide Lithos Nostram" "Ente Vide Lithos Nostram"  
  
Suddenly, darkness overtook the Plateau. 


	2. Reunions

No one knew what was going on. One moment, they were at death's door, and the next, they found themselves floating through a black abyss. None of them could tell whether they were being pulled forward, or whether the world around them was being pulled backwards. Only Finn, the only witness to Veronica's struggle in the tree house, had some idea of what was going on. "Vee must have done it!" Finn thought. "She must have saved the Plateau!"  
  
Finn had barely finished her thought when she emerged from the darkness and was unceremoniously dropped on the ground outside of the tree house. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she took inventory of her surroundings. "Thank God," she thought. "The tree house is still standing." She saw that the rest of missing explorers were back as well. They had landed in a circle around the tree house. Finn slowly looked around at her friends. She was obviously the only one aware of her surroundings. The others were all in shock. Finn figured she must not have been affected as badly because she wasn't in the time warp as long. Who knew what they had been through-they looked like they had been to hell and back.  
  
Challenger was to her right, dabbing at the perspiration on his forehead with his handkerchief. Beside him was Marguerite, who was clutching her chest, and seemed to be having trouble catching her breath. Roxton was a few feet from her on bended knee, staring at the ground. And to Finn's left, removing a noose from his neck was a man she had never met, but whom she recognized from Veronica's drawings."MALONE!" Her squeal snapped the others out of their daze, and they realized where they were. Everyone quickly got up and ran to each other.  
  
Chaos followed. Challenger picked Finn up and swung her around. Roxton and Marguerite embraced, both realizing that a few minutes ago, they thought they would never see each other again. Everyone crowded around Malone, taking turns hugging him. Questions flew from all directions. Where had Malone been? Where did Marguerite disappear to when she was helping Roxton fight off the conquistadors? How did they get back to the tree house? How did Finn know who Malone was?  
  
Not a coherent sentence could be understood as everyone asked and started to answer various questions all at once. Finn, still the only person thinking logically, tried to get the attention of the group. When she failed to get the attention of any individual, she proceeded to put her thumb and index finger in her mouth and whistled loudly. Everyone stopped and stared at her.  
  
"Thank you. Now if you will all just chill out for a minute, maybe you will notice that we are not all back." She focused on Ned when she said this. He caught her meaning immediately.  
  
"Veronica," he said.  
  
"Yes," said Finn. The last time I saw her, before I got sucked into the time warp, she was in the tree house, holding her mother's necklace. It seemed to be doing something to the storm. She's probably still up there, and seeing as how she didn't come out when you were making all that noise just now, I think she may need our help."  
  
Challenger started for the elevator, and the others followed. "Finn's right. Until we find Veronica, everything else will have to wait." He stopped in front of the elevator and saw that the storm had done too much damage for it to be useful.  
  
"Looks like we'll have to climb for it," said Roxton.  
  
"Yes, well we'd better be quick about it," said Marguerite. "Veronica could be seriously injured."  
  
"I should be light enough to climb the elevator shaft. When I get to the top, I can lower a ladder down for the rest of you."  
  
"Good thinking, Finn. Just be careful. Who knows how unstable that shaft is after the storm."  
  
"I'll be fine, Challenger. The most important thing is getting to Vee."  
  
Roxton gave Finn a boost onto the elevator shaft, and she gingerly made her way up. The others were all silent as they watched her, each wondering about Veronica. She had saved their lives. Were they too late to do the same for her? 


	3. Chills

"Please God, let her be ok," Malone silently prayed. "I love her so much. I could deal with just being her friend for the rest of our lives if I had to, but I don't think I could deal with losing her. Please, let her be ok."  
Finn reached the top in a matter of minutes. The tree house was still intact, but there was a fair amount of damage. She knew exactly where to look for Veronica-in the center of the room where the marks were on the floor. She was right. Veronica was in that very spot, laying face down on the floor. "Vee!!" Finn screamed as she ran over to her friend.  
"Finn!" Challenger yelled. "What's wrong? Is she up there?" Finn tried to calm down. She knew that she had to keep a cool head if she wanted to help Veronica. She checked quickly to see if Veronica was breathing. She was, but it was shallow. Finn ran over to the balcony and looked down at the group. "Yes, she's here. She's laying on the floor. She's breathing, but she's unconscious."  
"Ok, Finn, I need you to see if you can find the rope. It should be somewhere by the top of the elevator."  
Finn quickly found the rope ladder, and secured it to the sturdiest part of the tree house. Challenger climbed up, and went over to examine Veronica as the others made their way up. Malone watched the other three go up the ladder as he stood deep in thought. As eager as he was to see Veronica, this wasn't quite what he had in mind. He had pictured walking up to the tree house, and seeing Veronica sitting up on the balcony painting. He would watch her for a few minutes without her knowing, and then he would walk out into the open. Her hand would reach for her knife, and her head would snap towards him out of instinct and habit. But the guarded look in her eyes would quickly turn to joy, and her face would light up at the sight of him. She would let go of her knife, grab for a vine, and swing down to him in a smooth, swift motion. He would catch her in his arms and spin her around. And as he slowly lowered her down, their smiles would turn to serious gazes of genuine affection, and he would kiss her.  
He knew his daydream was a little optimistic since she had always told him they could just be friends, but he had acquired a newfound confidence while he was away, and he wasn't willing to give up on Veronica as easily as he had in the past. But that storm had changed things. He would not have a heroic homecoming with Veronica. At this point, he wasn't sure if she would ever know that he came home at all. And that scared him. He felt that familiar fear well up inside of him-fear that he hadn't experienced in the months that he had been away. He had been on a mission to find himself, and to prove to himself that he wasn't the coward he always thought he was. What he found was that there was a brave man inside of him. A strong man. A survivor. His experiences with the Challenger Expedition had helped shape him into that, and he built on it even more during his time alone. But, he also found that he had a soft spot that nothing could ever change-his love for Veronica. However, he didn't consider that an Achilles heel. After all, he had always looked up to Roxton as a role model, and everyone knew Roxton had a soft spot for Marguerite. But that didn't make Roxton weak. If anything, Marguerite made him stronger-made his life worth living. And that was exactly how Malone felt about Veronica. And now, here she was, the person who made his life worth living, lying unconscious in the tree house. He was scared to look at her. Scared that one look at her would tell him that she was going to leave him. He finally made his way up the ladder, and quickly went over to the rest of the group. Challenger had rolled Veronica onto her back and was kneeling besides her. The rest were gathered around her. Malone got close to them, but not close enough to see his jungle beauty. "George, what can we do for her?" Marguerite asked. "Well, for starters, she's freezing. Chilled to the bone. We need to get her warm." "Chilled?" Marguerite asked. "How is that possible? It's just as hot and humid here as it always is." "I know, Marguerite. I know. But who knows what she went through during that storm. Her body could be in shock. At any rate, our first priority is to get her warm and comfortable. Roxton, you and Marguerite go to Veronica's room, and see if you can clear off any wreckage that might be on the bed." "Sure thing," Roxton said as he and Marguerite walked away.  
"Finn, I'll need you to go around the tree house and find anything that we can use as blankets. We don't have a lot of heavy things here due to the heat, so we'll just have to pile as much as we can. See if you can find anything in her parents' trunk. They might have brought something warm with them."  
"No problem, Challenger."  
"Malone, I'll need you to stay with her while I see if I can salvage any of our medical supplies." Challenger, not waiting for a response, stood up and began his mission.  
Nothing stood between Malone and Veronica, and he laid eyes on her for the first time in months. She was just as beautiful as she was in his dreams-the dreams that got him through all of those nights alone in the jungle. He knelt down beside her, and stroked her hair. "You're going to be ok, Veronica. I'll make sure of it. We all will." He took her hand, and almost dropped it out of shock. Challenger wasn't kidding when he said she was chilled. Her hand was like ice. Malone started rubbing her hands vigorously with his own, attempting to get her blood circulating.  
Soon, the others had all returned from their errands. "Is the bed cleared off?" Challenger asked.  
"Yes," Marguerite replied. "It's all ready. Her room actually wasn't as bad as it is out here."  
"The lab wasn't in bad shape either. I think we got pretty lucky, under the circumstances. That was a hell of a storm. How about you, Finn. Did you have any luck with the blankets?"  
"Well, I did find one warm blanket in Vee's parents' trunk. Otherwise, I just took all of the sheets off of our beds. I figured it's a small sacrifice for us to make if it's going to help Vee. I was thinking, we don't really have a lot of warm clothes to put her in, but maybe we could use some of your clothes, or Roxton's."  
"That won't be necessary, Finn. Veronica's body temperature is severely low, and we'll need to get it up as fast as we can. The best way to do that is by transferring body heat, and with as few obstacles as possible. The more layers between her body and the heat, the longer it will take for the heat to get to her."  
Finn thought for a moment. "So what you're saying is basically that someone needs to get naked with Vee."  
Challenger blushed a little. "Your bluntness never ceases to amaze me, child. While it would be preferable for no barriers at all, I think it best that we try to preserve some modesty."  
"Well," Marguerite said, "she can't be terribly comfortable in that little outfit she always wears. I have a light nightgown that we can put her into. It will make her comfortable, and it will easily let the heat in to warm her."  
"That sounds like a good plan."  
"I hate to state the obvious," said Roxton, "but the question remains as to which one of us will actually provide the body heat."  
"Yes," Challenger replied. "Well, as to that, it is a scientific fact that men emanate more body heat than women-" Marguerite snorted at this comment "-so that narrows it down to three of us."  
"I think it should be Malone," Finn blurted out. Everyone looked at her, including Malone, whose face began to redden. "Well," Finn added, "it's just that she told me what good friends you are, and how much you've been through together."  
"That's true, Malone." Marguerite added. "She would be the most comfortable with you."  
Challenger, knowing the reporter's sensibilities, added, "You won't be compromising her, Malone. She'll have on Marguerite's nightgown, and all you'll have to do is take off your shirt."  
"Ok," said Malone. "I'll do whatever it takes to help Veronica."  
"Good, it's settled," said Roxton. "Now we'd better get started before the poor girl freezes to death while we stand around making decisions. I will carry her to her room. Marguerite, go get your nightgown, and you and Finn can change her into it."  
A few minutes later, Malone stood in Veronica's room. Challenger had taken a blood sample from Veronica, and went to his lab to study it. He told them all that until they got Veronica over the chill, there was nothing to do but wait. Finn had followed Challenger to the lab, while Marguerite and Roxton sat in the living room holding each other. Both were thankful to have each other back, especially after watching Malone agonize over Veronica. They sat quietly, letting their embraces and kisses speak for them.  
Malone removed his shirt, and crawled into bed beside Veronica. Perhaps he hadn't changed that much after all. Despite Challenger's reassurances, he was still apprehensive about being this intimate with Veronica without her consent. But, he knew it was the only way to get her better. He pulled all of the covers over the two of them, and tucked all of the edges under them so that it was almost like a cocoon. He put his arms around her and held her close to him, pressing his chest against her back. He couldn't believe how cold she felt, even through the thin material of Marguerite's nightgown. "What happened to you, Veronica?" he whispered. "What did you go through to save us?" He leaned in and kissed her cheek. He felt tired, but he didn't want to leave Veronica. He was emotionally exhausted from the ordeal in the time warp, and from Veronica, and he was physically exhausted from the long journey he made before he walked into the time warp. Finally, realizing that she was safe as long as she was in his arms, he succumbed to sleep. 


	4. Heat

Malone woke up early the next morning. He had been asleep for over twelve hours. He couldn't remember the last time he slept so well, or so deeply. Over the last few months, he had learned to sleep on his guard with his weapon positioned beside him. Apparently, all of those nights of light slumber had finally caught up to him. He had been living off of his instincts, much like Veronica always had. Veronica. Though the circumstances left much to be desired, he loved waking up with her in his arms. She was so beautiful, so wonderful. She was...she was burning up!!  
"Oh my God," Malone said, as he sat up and turned Veronica onto her back. Her face was flushed, and her hair was slightly damp with perspiration. Malone bounded out of bed and out into the living room. "Challenger!" His shout startled Marguerite and Roxton, who had been asleep, nestled together on the couch and still in yesterday's clothes.  
"Malone, what's wrong?" Marguerite asked, sitting up.  
"It's Veronica. She has a fever. Where's Challenger?"  
"He's in the lab," Roxton answered. Malone sprinted down to the first floor of the tree house, leaving the other two confused.  
"A fever?" Marguerite said. "But last night she was ice cold."  
"Yes, well, we'd best go check on her," Roxton replied, helping her to her feet.  
  
"Challenger?"  
"Malone, what is it?" Challenger asked, looking up from his work.  
"Veronica. She has a fever. It's all my fault, Challenger. I shouldn't have fallen asleep. I should have stayed awake, and checked on her through the night."  
"I expected this might happen."  
"What do you mean you expected it? She could be dying up there!"  
"Malone, calm down. First of all, this fever is not your fault. Being subjected to your body heat helped produce the fever, and believe it or not, probably saved Veronica's life. See Malone, fever is our body's best defense mechanism. It helps us fight off infections and regulate our body temperature. I did every test I could think of on the sample I took of Veronica's blood. It doesn't look like she has an infection. I think she went through a tremendous ordeal during that storm, and her body is trying to readjust to normal conditions. In the meantime, I sent Finn out to find some plants that will help keep her comfortable, and others that will help draw out the fever if that becomes necessary. Right now, my best advice is to try to keep her comfortable, and let the fever run its course. Come on, let's go and see what we can do. Finn should be back any minute.  
  
"The poor thing, she's burning up," Marguerite said, with her hand on Veronica's forehead.  
"Yes. Perhaps we should get some of these covers off of her," Roxton suggested.  
"How's the patient," Challenger asked, as he and Malone joined them in Veronica's room.  
"She has a very high temperature," Marguerite answered. "We were just going to get some of these covers off of her to make her more comfortable."  
"That's a good idea," Challenger replied. "But keep them close at hand. As her fever runs its course, she may get a little chilled again from time to time, though not nearly as severe as she was last night."  
"Challenger? Marguerite? Where is everyone," Finn called.  
"In here, Finn," Challenger answered.  
"We really need to fix that elevator soon. It's a hard climb up here, especially with a sack full of plants and herbs. How is she?" Finn asked.  
"It's as I suspected. She's feverish now. Finn, if you would, please go down to the lab and get the rest of the supplies. Do you think you could handle making the poultice alone?"  
"Sure, Challenger. I'll be fine."  
"Good. Make the poultice, and put a small amount on a cloth on her forehead. Make sure she stays comfortable. I think it's time the rest of us talked about what went on here yesterday."  
"No problem, Challenger. I'll take good care of Vee!"  
Finn headed down to the lab, and Marguerite and Roxton went out to the living room. Challenger saw Malone's hesitation.  
"I can assure you, Malone, Finn will take excellent care of Veronica. I know that you aren't aware of her story yet, something we will remedy once this has passed, but I can tell you that she thinks of Veronica as a sister."  
Malone looked at Veronica, and then at Challenger. "Ok. But, as soon as we're done talking things over, I'm coming back here to take care of her."  
"Duly noted," Challenger said as Malone followed him out of the room. 


	5. Catching up

"Ok, everyone, I think it's important that we figure out what happened here yesterday. Until we understand it, we have no way of knowing if we're out of danger. I think the first logical thing to do is to share our stories."  
  
The group proceeded to do just that. Roxton and Marguerite told of how they went in and out of time warps, before landing in the Amazon with the Conquistadors, and how Roxton had been mistaken for one of his ancestors. Roxton told of his concern and confusion when Marguerite disappeared, and of the chase and capture that put his life in danger.  
  
Marguerite picked up her story from her disappearance. Malone didn't miss the look on Roxton's face when she described her capture by the Druids, or how Roxton slipped his hand over hers when she talked about nearly becoming a sacrifice. Apparently, the bond between his friends had grown even stronger while he was away. It made him think of Veronica, and how lucky Roxton and Marguerite were to have each other. He hoped that someday, he and Veronica could be that lucky.  
  
Challenger told the group about his visitor from the past, the time warps coming closer to the house, and how Finn and Veronica attached the rope to him when he went into the time warp. But, the rope snapped, and he ended up in that future world, about to be lobotomized. He also picked up Finn's side of the story, which she had revealed to him the previous evening in the lab. He told them about the time warps completely surrounding the tree house and the light that surrounded it. He told of Veronica's struggle with the storm, and how the last thing Finn saw before she was sucked into the time warp was Veronica holding the amulet, and the light that continued to radiate from it.  
  
"Well, Neddy boy," Roxton said, "looks like it's your turn. Where did the time warp take you?"  
  
Malone took a deep breath. He had so much to tell his friends about his travels, and his time away. But, he knew now was not the time to go into all of that. As much as he hated to start in the middle of a story, the important thing was to share his most recent experiences.  
  
"Well, my story is a little different from all of yours. Everything that happened around here seems to have centered around yesterday, but I met up with the time warps for the first time about a week ago. And they weren't the first strange encounters I had."  
  
"What do you mean," Challenger asked.  
  
"When I left, I began making maps of everywhere I visited, and where it was in relation to the tree house. I wanted to know that I was able to get home no matter where I was. About a month ago, when I had reached the farthest stretches of land that I dared to tread on, I decided it was time for me to start making my way home. Only, I started to find that my maps were inaccurate. I know that in the past, we've noticed changes in the Plateau, but never this drastic. Things were changing on a day to day basis. Each day, I had to try to get my bearings again. It took me twice as long to get anywhere. And the time warps made that even more difficult.  
  
"My first experiences were very similar to Marguerite and Roxton's first experiences with them. The first time it happened, it was so quick that I thought I was imagining things. I was in a strange world one moment, and the next, I was back. Then, nothing happened until a few hours later when again I found myself in another world, this time for a slightly longer period of time. This went on for days. Each time it happened, I always landed in a different world than the last. Each time, I stayed longer in the other world, and the time period between trips got shorter. Then, two days ago, I warped into a world, and stayed there. But, this wasn't a strange world. It was one that I recognized. It was London."  
  
"London!" Marguerite exclaimed.  
  
"Astonishing," Challenger whispered.  
  
Malone continued. "I found myself in a London prison. Apparently, I had been tried and convicted of the murders of the other members of the Challenger Expedition."  
  
"What? How is that possible," Roxton demanded.  
  
"I don't know. I only got bits of information here and there from the other prisoners and some of the guards. Most people wouldn't talk to me because when I questioned them about what happened, they thought I was insane. After all, they thought I had lived through it, so of course it seemed odd that I was asking. Anyway, what I found out was that I apparently came back to London alone, and I was suffering from a slight memory loss. I couldn't answer their questions about what happened to you, or where you were. I just kept telling them about this place-about all of the things we have seen. Well, they didn't believe what I was telling them, and then they found some of your possessions on me, and I couldn't explain where they came from, so they charged me with your murders.  
  
"Anyway, once I learned this information, I kept trying to tell the guards that I was innocent-that I knew exactly where all of you were, and that I could lead a rescue party to you. They didn't believe me. They thought it was either the ravings of a mad man, or a coward trying to save his own neck. The next morning, I was served my last meal, and a little before noon, they lead me out to the gallows. It was awful. Gladys was there, crying. But, she wasn't doing anything to save me. She was going to let me hang. They placed the noose around my neck, and were about to hang me when suddenly everything went black, and I had the sensation of floating. And that's when I ended up outside of the tree house with all of you."  
  
There was silence for a few moments. Then, Marguerite spoke. "Well, that's quite a story, Malone. One that I'm sure will take up quite a few journal pages once all of this is over. I think we all found the story of the century this time." Malone managed a small smile. He knew the heiress was trying to lighten the moment, and take his mind off of Veronica's illness.  
  
"What do you make of it, Challenger," Roxton asked.  
  
All eyes turned to Challenger, who seemed not to hear. He was in deep thought.  
  
"Challenger?" Malone questioned.  
  
Then, Challenger's eyes lit up. "I think I know what happened. 


	6. Yin Yang

A/N: This idea sounded good in my head-I just hope I expressed it clearly in words. Science was never one of my strong points.  
  
"I think I know what happened," Challenger said. "Yes. Yes, that must be it," he mumbled to himself.  
  
"Well don't keep us in suspense, Challenger. Tell us what happened!" Marguerite exclaimed, exasperated by the scientist's meaningless ranting.  
  
Challenger looked up and discovered three pairs of inquisitive eyes staring at him. "Er, yes. Sorry. Well, William Maple White believed that we caused this by going into the future and bringing Finn back. I did not agree with him at the time, and I'm even more convinced now that his theory is wrong. I believe that this is not something that was caused by one event, but an occurrence that was destined to happen since the beginning of the Plateau's existence. There are many scientific theories to back up my suspicions, but I think the best way to describe it in layman's terms would be to use the ancient Chinese theory of the yin and the yang."  
  
"You mean that everything has to be balanced," Marguerite stated.  
  
"Exactly," Challenger replied. "The yang represents things such as masculinity, heat, light, and the sun. The yin represents things such as femininity, cold, darkness, and the moon. They are opposing forces, working together to balance the other. Now, this Plateau is a place of great energy. The energy comes from all of the colliding worlds that meet here. Lost civilizations, alternate realities, and supernatural beings seem to gravitate to the Plateau. I believe they use this as a meeting place because the Plateau is the only place strong enough to control such great energy. If all of this energy stayed in our world instead of gravitating here, our world might not have enough yin to balance the yang of the energy, and one element overtaking the other could cause the destruction of the world as we know it. I think that the Plateau is on another plane of existence than our world, and anything that is too strong for our world to handle raises to this next level as kind of a resting place. Now, in order to balance the energy produced by these colliding worlds, or, the yang if you will, there needs to be a substantial source of yin on the Plateau.  
  
When Professor White was here, we learned that his maps greatly differed from ours, and our maps have always seemed to differ from Veronica's parents' maps. And now, Malone here has told us that he noticed a severe shifting in the topography on his travels. My belief is that the source of the yin, the nexus of that power, is right under this tree house, and that is why Veronica's parents chose to build their home here. Her mother, as Protector, must have known that this day would come, and that the best way to find this power source would be to never go far from it-to use it as a home.  
  
I believe that the shifting topography of the Plateau is due to the ongoing struggle for balance. I think that recently, the yang was getting too powerful, and starting to shift the yin off center so that it became harder for the yin to do its job. The time warps were a result of the overpowering yang. They obviously began in the farthest places from the source of the yin, which is why Malone ran into them before we did. They kept coming closer to the tree house until they were surrounding it, and the storm was a sign of the battle where the yang would attempt to overtake the yin. I believe that whatever Veronica did with the Trion yesterday resulted in a rebalancing of power. Finn described the light that was emanating from the Trion. Perhaps the Trion used the yang's power of light against it, and that caused the brief period of darkness. During that time, the power under the tree house worked as kind of a reverse black hole. Instead of pulling things into it, it pushed them out, evenly distributing the energy around the Plateau, so that the tree house is once again the center of the yin power to balance the yang. That's why we all ended up outside of the tree house instead of where we were when we went into the time warp. The time warps had been surrounding the tree house when the battle began. When Veronica unleashed the power to push the time warps away from the tree house to be redistributed, at the same time, it pulled us towards the tree house and out of the time warps, evenly distributing us around the tree house.  
  
The group was silent for quite some time. It was a lot to take in. But, they didn't dare doubt Challenger. They had only made that mistake once- when they didn't believe his theory of the Plateau and the dinosaurs that resided there. That machine in the future time warp was right about him, as far as all of them were concerned. He truly was the greatest mind of his time. Finally, Marguerite broke the silence.  
  
"But how did Malone end up in London?" she asked.  
  
"Well," Challenger began, "we all ended up in different situations. Roxton ended up in the place of his ancestor, so he was in the past. You, Marguerite, were also in the past, except that instead of living as one of your ancestors, you were living in a past life. I believe that body that you and Roxton found was indeed a Druid priestess, and probably the person who you are the reincarnation of. However, the time warp would have changed events so that it was your body instead of hers in that tomb. Finn ended up back in New Amazonia, which would have been her destiny if we hadn't changed it. So, she ended up in a version of the future that could happen depending on events. I was in a very similar situation. I was in a future world, and perhaps one that I still may end up in one day, depending on the turn of events. Now, Malone was the only one of us that was dealing in the present. But he was dealing with an alternate reality. You see, we are constantly changing the future. Every decision we make sets off a series of events. Had we made another decision, it would have set off another series of events. I believe that sometimes, when the decision which is more likely to occur does not occur, an alternate reality is created to carry out the events, and destiny is satisfied. Somewhere in his travels, Malone must have made a decision that led him on his way back to us, but the decision that destiny believed he would make would have led him back to London, and put him on trial for our murders. Such alternate realities end up here on the Plateau, and that happened to be the particular time warp that found Malone."  
  
Malone let out a breath. "I don't know exactly what that decision was, but thank God I chose 'the road not taken.' Otherwise, I'd be a dead man right now."  
  
"Nothing you haven't experienced before, old boy," Roxton quipped to lighten the mood.  
  
Everyone had to chuckle at that. But, one thing was still bothering Marguerite.  
  
"But, what happened here with Veronica? How is it that she had the ability to wield the power of the Trion?"  
  
"That, I'm afraid, is something only she can answer," Challenger replied. The group lapsed into silence once again.  
  
TBC-I might not be able to get the next few chapters out as fast as these first ones since the weekend is almost over, and I will be busy with law school during the week. But I promise that I will continue writing in my spare time, so hopefully you'll never have to wait too long for updates. 


	7. The Visit

A/N: Thank you all so much for the e-mails and reviews!!! They have made me really excited about writing this story. I did some thinking and research in the little free time I had this week, so I know where I'm going with this story. I haven't read anyone else's 4th season fics yet, and I'm not going to until I finish this story (which will probably put me in withdrawal, but I guess it's a sacrifice I must make) because I want to write the story, and then see if my ideas come close to what anyone else was thinking. Please continue to let me know what you think!!!! Oh yeah, and again, I disclaim!  
  
While the four explorers were analyzing their part of the adventure, Veronica was involved in an investigation of her own. Though still unreachable by the outside world, her subconscious was actively engaged in a dream world.  
  
Veronica "awoke" face down in the grass. The last thing she remembered was standing in the tree house, bathed in light with strange words coming from her lips. Then it all went black.  
  
"I'm still alive," she thought, somewhat amazed after all that had happened. "I must have done it! I must have saved the Plateau! But, where are the others?"  
  
She slowly sat up, and began to take in her surroundings. She seemed to be in the middle of a field, but she didn't recognize it. She was sitting on soft, dewy grass, and the sky above her was a beautiful cerulean blue, with no sign of the storm that had arisen only.how long ago had it been? It occurred to Veronica that she had no concept of time, or how long she had been out. She looked around for more clues as to her whereabouts, but heavy mist prevented her from seeing any further.  
  
"Well," she said, "I'm not going to find anything out just by sitting here. I need to go find my friends." She got to her feet. "I guess it doesn't matter which direction I go, since I can't see very far ahead from here." She picked a direction and began walking, but after several minutes, she still hadn't seen anything except the fog covered field. She picked up her pace, and began calling out the names of her friends, in hopes that they too had landed in this field. "Finn? Challenger?" She started to run. "Marguerite? Roxton?" She ran until she was out of breath, which didn't take long since her body had been weakened by the storm. She stopped to catch her breath, crouching slightly to rest her hands on her knees.  
  
Suddenly, the mist in front of her began to clear a little, forming a small path. Veronica watched as a figure appeared at the end of the path, and started coming towards her. The figure was difficult to make out at first because of the fog, but it slowly began to take shape. It was a tall, slender woman in a billowy white dress and flowing blonde hair. It didn't take Veronica long to realize who it was.  
  
"Mom?!" she whispered, with tears stuck in her eyes. The figure was now directly in front of her. Veronica was awe struck. She was even more beautiful than Veronica remembered.  
  
"Yes, Veronica. I am your mother." Abigail Layton smiled softly at her daughter. "You've grown into a strong, beautiful woman, Veronica. I'm so proud of you." She lovingly caressed her daughter's cheek.  
  
Veronica's tears were now flowing freely. "I missed you so much, Mom."  
  
"I missed you too, darling," her mother answered. "But there will be time for all of that later. Right now, you need to listen to me so that when you recover, you can begin your journey."  
  
"What do you mean, recover? I feel a little winded, but I'll be fine tomorrow."  
  
"Veronica, you don't understand. This is a dream."  
  
"A dream? It can't be. It feels real, Mom. I feel tired from running. When I woke up, I felt the dew from the grass and the breeze. You can't feel things like that in dreams."  
  
"This is a special dream, Veronica. It's difficult to explain, but believe me, that's what it is. The storm took a lot out of you. And the tremendous energy that you unleashed knocked you out. Right now, you are laying in the tree house with five very worried friends caring for you. But don't worry. You'll be just fine. You just need time to recover."  
  
"Wait a minute," Veronica responded. "Did you say five friends?"  
  
"Yes. And one of them especially is quite concerned about you. I believe you are very special to him."  
  
"Ned! He's back?!"  
  
"Yes. But we're wasting precious time. We need to talk so that you can rest. You can learn about your friends when you wake up. Right now, we need to discuss your future, and the future of the Plateau."  
  
Veronica's mind began to race. She had so many questions for her mother, especially about what had happened during the storm. And, what if her mother was here to tell her it was her time to take over as Protector? As wonderful as it would be to have her mother with her again, the thought of leaving her family killed her, especially now that Ned was back.  
  
"Mother, what happened to me during that storm? How did I know those words? Were you speaking through me?"  
  
"No, Veronica. I have acquired a good deal of power as Protector, but that is beyond me. That came from within you. You invoked the power of the Goddess."  
  
"The Goddess? I don't understand. Is it my time to become the Protector?"  
  
"No, Veronica. It's not time. And hopefully, it never will be. The time has come-all of the signs have been pointing to it. You have one chance to fulfill your destiny. There is a task you must complete. If you succeed, you will be free to leave the Plateau whenever you wish. If you fail, your fate will be sealed, you will be bound to the Plateau forever, and when I die, you will take over as Protector." Veronica's mother saw the fear and confusion in her daughter's eyes.  
  
"I know this is a lot to take in right now. I won't go into anymore detail right now. There will be plenty of time for us to talk later. I just needed to prepare you for what is in store. Listen to me very carefully, Veronica. When I leave you, you must sleep. You must give your body time to heal. When you wake, continue to rest until your body is well again. You will need all of your strength for what is to come, and you will only hurt matters if you try to go on your quest before your body is ready to handle it. Once you are healed, wait for a sign. You will know when it happens. And as soon as the sign comes, you and your friends must set out on a journey. Pack enough supplies for three days and three nights, and walk in the direction of the inland sea."  
  
"Where are we going, Mother?"  
  
"You're coming to Avalon, Veronica. There you will learn all that you need to know about your quest. I must leave you to your rest now. But don't worry. It won't be long before we meet again. And the next time, it will be real. I love you, darling girl."  
  
"I love you too, Mom."  
  
Veronica's mother turned and walked back through the path, and the fog closed in behind her. Veronica tried to reflect on what her mother had said, but her mind seemed fuzzy. She laid down on the dewy grass and fell asleep.  
  
Finn dipped a fresh cloth in the basin of Challenger's remedy, wrung it out, and placed it on Veronica's head. She heard footsteps, and looked up to see Malone in the doorway.  
  
"How is she," he asked.  
  
"About the same," Finn answered. "Though I think this poultice is taking the fever down a little. Hopefully, it will keep working."  
  
He came over to the bedside, and looked down at Veronica. "I'd like to take over now, if you don't mind."  
  
Finn smiled. "No problem. Vee's probably sick of me rambling to her anyway."  
  
Malone managed a small smile. He was grateful to Finn for being so good to Veronica. It was probably good for Veronica to hear Finn's voice. That way, she knew her friends were close.  
  
Finn got up, and Malone sat down in the stool that she had occupied.  
  
"Finn?" Malone called after her.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Finn smiled at the man that Veronica loved. It was obvious he loved her too. She hoped that her friend would wake up soon so that she could see just how much she meant to this man. "Anytime," she said, and went out to join the others in the living area.  
  
Malone took Veronica's hand, brought it to his lips briefly, and then held onto it. "Come back to me, Veronica," he pleaded. 


	8. Awake

Malone held vigil at Veronica's bedside for the next four days. He spoon fed her water and broth to get nourishment into her body. He talked to her often-reading to her from his journals, spinning stories on the spot, reminding her of the adventures they had been on together, and sometimes just whispered reassurances. When she started to shiver, he covered her. When she was warm, he kept compresses on her forehead. Except for washing up and changing clothes, he never left her side, and no one could convince him otherwise. Though, truth be told, no one tried very hard to talk him into leaving her. They all knew how Malone felt about Veronica. Even Finn, who had known him for less than a week, could sense it. They knew that if anything could bring Veronica back, it was Malone.  
  
And Veronica was showing signs of improvement. Her fever seemed to be going down more each day. Sometimes, she seemed to be on the verge of waking. She would move a little, and sometimes even talk in her sleep. Though most of what she said was unintelligible, there was one word that always came out clearly-Ned. Malone knew the others had heard it too when they were in the room "visiting" her. However, no one mentioned anything about it, and he was thankful for that. They knew Malone would be embarrassed, and now was not the time for teasing. They would have plenty of time for that when Veronica was back with them.  
  
On the fifth day, Malone awoke early in the morning. He was sprawled out on a chair beside Veronica, which had served as his bed for the past few days. The sun was streaming into the tree house.  
  
"Good morning, Veronica," he said. "It's a beautiful day." He reached over, brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and felt her forehead. "You're still a little warm this morning. Better put a compress on your forehead. Challenger's salve seems to be working." He found a fresh cloth, dipped it in the basin, wrung it out, and placed it gently on her forehead. "You know, this reminds me of another time when I was taking care of you. Remember? It was right after we got to the Plateau. The night the ape men attacked. You were knocked off of the balcony, and we brought you up here. I put a compress on your forehead, just like this. I was afraid I was going to lose you before I even got the chance to know you." Malone sat on the stool beside the bed, and stared off into space, lost in his memories.  
  
"Thanks for not leaving me with Marguerite this time," a weak voice said.  
  
"What?" Malone said. He looked over at Veronica. Her eyes were still closed. He could have sworn she said something.  
  
"You remember. You all went after Assai, and left me with Marguerite. She tried to marry me off to the Zanga chief."  
  
Malone looked again, just in time to see Veronica's eyes slowly peel open, and a faint smile appeared on her face.  
  
"Veronica! You're awake!" He jumped out of the stool and sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned down and scooped Veronica into his arms. "You had me worried," he whispered in her ear. She never ceased to amaze him. She was unconscious for days, and when she finally woke up, she immediately fell into joking around with him, like they always used to. However, Malone also realized that since she just woke up, maybe he shouldn't be crowding her space. He reluctantly lowered her back down to the bed, and smiled down at her. "I'm so glad you're okay," he said.  
  
"I'm so glad you're back," Veronica answered. Malone noticed that her voice sounded a little husky.  
  
"Are you thirsty?" he asked.  
  
"Very," she answered.  
  
"I'll go get you some water. I'll be right back."  
  
"I'll be here," Veronica whispered.  
  
Malone went out to the kitchen, and found Challenger, who was starting the tea and Marguerite's coffee. "Good morning, Malone. How's Veronica?"  
  
"She's awake, Challenger! She's going to be okay!" Malone answered as he poured a glass of water.  
  
Challenger watched Malone as he dashed back to Veronica's room. "Ah, young love," he mused.  
  
Malone helped Veronica sit up, and handed her the water. She drank it down quickly. "Ned, I have so much to tell you."  
  
"I have a lot to tell you, too, Veronica. But, let's save the heavy conversations for later when the others are awake. Right now, I just want you to relax. Go to sleep if you need to. Just, do me a favor and don't take so long to wake up this time."  
  
Veronica smiled. "I won't." 


	9. Puzzle pieces

A/N: Thanks again for all of the reviews. Special thanks to TheChosenOne3 for pointing out the error in Chapter 8-I reposted a corrected version. I hope this chapter makes up for how short the last one was :-) A few notes.I didn't see the Camelot episode from the first season, so I don't know how in depth they got with Arthurian legend, and how much all of them knew about it. I do believe at some point, maybe during that episode, Marguerite was mistaken for Morgaine (or Morrigan, whatever variation on the name they used), so I used that. I love Arthurian legend, but I'm not an expert. The Triple Goddess is a concept I just learned about while researching for this story, so if there are any big mistakes with regards to either of those, please excuse them-I'm basically fitting them to the purposes of my story. Also, I disclaim!! Last, but not least, enjoy, and please keep the reviews coming-they are very encouraging for me. Thanks!!!  
  
Veronica had fallen back to sleep quickly. She had stayed awake only long enough to ask Ned how long she was out. She was amazed to find out that she had lost nearly a week of her life.  
  
She woke again a few hours later. Ned was the first thought that entered her mind, and she smiled. Her mother had been right. He really was back. And knowing that drove away all of the fear and apprehension about the journey her mother had told her about because Ned would be by her side. Ned, who was her best friend, and always her companion on adventures. Ned, whose return she had prayed for night after night. Ned the man. . . . . the man she loved. She blushed at the thought, and it occurred to her that Ned could still be in the room. She looked over at the stool beside her and was surprised to see not Ned, but Finn beside her.  
  
"Hey Vee! How are you feeling?" she asked.  
  
"Not too bad. Though, I don't think I'll be challenging you to any gymnastics contests any time soon. Where's Ned?"  
  
"Roxton and Challenger convinced him to go to his own bed and sleep for awhile. He's been staying in here with you ever since we found you."  
  
"Poor Ned! You mean he's been sleeping in that chair every night?"  
  
Finn did her best to hold back a smile. If only Veronica knew just how close Malone had been to her that first night when she had the chills. But Finn knew Veronica would be embarrassed about that, especially because of her feelings for Malone, so Finn decided it was probably best if Malone was the one to tell her about that night in his own time. "Well, I think he did get one good night's sleep, but I'll let him tell you about that some other time."  
  
Veronica was confused by Finn's cryptic words, but she decided to let it go. One never knew what went on in Finn's mind. Besides, if it was something important, she knew Ned would tell her about it.  
  
"He's amazing, though, Vee. He's everything you said he was. And, he really cares about you. The only time he left your side for any real length of time was when Challenger called a meeting so that they could try to figure out what happened. Other than that, he was in here, talking to you, reading to you, feeding you, and trying to get your fever down and keep you comfortable."  
  
Veronica laughed. "I take it you approve of him."  
  
"Definitely, Vee. In fact, I was wondering if I could be in your wedding when you get married?"  
  
"I think you're being a bit premature, Finn. Malone and I aren't together yet. And who knows if we ever will be. I know I'd like to see if we could be something more. And I know there was a time when he felt that too. But things might have changed while he was gone. Maybe he met someone else on his travels. Or maybe he realized he really does want to see what will happen with Gladys when he goes home. Maybe now he just loves me like a sister."  
  
Finn looked at her skeptically. She was sure Veronica didn't really believe that. She was probably just trying to keep her guard up a little until she had some sign from Malone that he felt the same way about her that she did about him. "We'll see about that. Anyway," Finn continued, "Challenger said I'm to tell him when you're awake. I'll be right back."  
  
Veronica stared at the ceiling. She hoped that Finn was right. She hoped Ned wanted to be with her. Though, a dark thought loomed in the back of her mind. Her mother had said that she had one chance to fulfill her destiny, and if she failed, she would have to remain on the Plateau for the rest of her life. If that happened, she couldn't ask Ned to stay. It was true that he had offered to stay before, but she was never very confident about how happy he would be if he did stay after the others were gone. Would he be happy here alone with her, with no one else from his world? Would he be content with writing stories that would be read by no one but her, knowing he would never be a famous journalist? Her greatest fear was that he would decide to stay, but after awhile, he would become unhappy and change his mind. More than anything, she wanted Ned to be happy. If she had to let him go for that to happen, so be it. "Best not to think of that now," she told herself. "What matters is that he's here with me now."  
  
Finn came back a moment later, followed by Challenger, Marguerite, and Roxton.  
  
"Hi everyone," Veronica greeted them.  
  
"Welcome back," Marguerite said, smiling.  
  
"I thought Marguerite was supposed to be the drama queen around here." Roxton teased gently. It earned him a jab in the chest, courtesy of the heiress's elbow.  
  
"It is good to have you back, Veronica," Challenger said. "I know that you've been through a great deal, but I was hoping that maybe you'd feel up to comparing stories with us. The sooner we figure out this mystery, the better."  
  
"I agree," Veronica answered. "I'm anxious to hear what happened to all of you. And I have something to tell all of you that I think you'll find interesting."  
  
"All right then," Challenger said, "I was thinking that rather than cramming all of us into your room, perhaps we could trouble you to move to the living room."  
  
"I'll take care of that," Roxton answered, leaning down to scoop Veronica into his arms. "You're in no condition to be walking around."  
  
"Roxton!" she protested. "I'm not an invalid!"  
  
"Don't argue with me, Veronica. I get enough of that from Marguerite." He caught Marguerite's eye and winked. He knew he was digging himself into a hole. He also knew he'd have fun finding his way out of it later.  
  
Veronica was soon situated on the couch, and Challenger had woken Malone and summoned him to the living room as well. Malone smiled upon seeing Veronica. Part of him really had been afraid that her waking up for a few minutes was just a fluke and that she wouldn't wake again. But there she was, awake and alert. She looked healthy too. The past few days, her skin had either been ghostly white, or warmly flushed. It was good to see her looking like herself again. He took a seat beside the couch so that he could be near her.  
  
"Where do we begin?" Veronica asked.  
  
"Why don't we tell you our account of things first?" Challenger proposed.  
  
"Ok," Veronica answered.  
  
The group proceeded to tell the same stories that they had shared a few days earlier, and told her about how they found her, and how she had a fever for the last few days. The only thing detail that everyone seemed to leave out was that first night that Ned spent warming her up. Then, Challenger recounted his theory of the energy on the Plateau. "So what do you think, Veronica?"  
  
"It's definitely possible, Challenger. It would explain a lot of the weird occurrences."  
  
"So, Vee," Finn asked, "what happened to you after we got separated?"  
  
Veronica proceeded to tell the group about how she had asked her mother for help, and about the strange words that she spoke. Marguerite asked her what the words were, hoping to be able to translate. However, Veronica had no memory of the exact words. "It was the weirdest thing," Veronica said. "The words came out of my mouth, but I had no idea what I was saying. It was not a language that I had ever heard before. And now, those words seem like a distant, fuzzy memory. I know it happened, but they seem to have left my mind. My mother said that I was invoking the power of the Goddess, but I don't know what that means."  
  
Everyone's ears perked up. "Your mother?" Malone asked.  
  
"Yes," Veronica answered. "I saw her." She told them about her dream, and about the upcoming journey to Avalon. She also briefly filled Malone in on how she had recovered her childhood memories a few weeks ago, and that her father was dead, and her mother was serving as the Protector in Avalon.  
  
"Wait a minute," Malone said. "Avalon, as in King Arthur's Avalon?"  
  
"No, Malone," Marguerite corrected. "King Arthur was in Camelot. Remember? We had a run in with people from that era the first year we were on the Plateau."  
  
"It's true that Camelot was Arthur's kingdom," Malone conceded. "But, Avalon was a part of his history, too. Some say that Avalon was where the Lady of the Lake gave Excalibur to Arthur. It is also said that Avalon is to Arthur like Valhalla is to the warriors, who are sent to Valhalla to await a final battle. Some believe that after his death, Arthur's body was sent to Avalon to wait there until it is his time to reign again."  
  
"I thought Arthur pulled Excalibur from the sword in the stone," Roxton interjected.  
  
"Well, that's the problem with Arthurian legend," Malone replied. "It's never very consistent. There are so many different accounts of the events. Researchers and literary scholars debate about many aspects of it, right down to the question of whether Arthur actually existed at all."  
  
"How do you know all of this," Veronica asked, somewhat in awe of his knowledge.  
  
Ned smiled. "As a boy, I was fascinated with Arthurian legend. They were the best adventure stories-knights, wizards, jousting, sword fights, good versus evil...I read every account that I could get my hands on."  
  
Roxton smiled at his friend. He teased him often, and he knew that Malone looked up to him like a brother. But sometimes, he was the one in admiration of Malone. He would give anything to have a little of the boyish innocence that Malone possessed. Roxton lost any hope of that when William died. But maybe, this expedition to the Plateau had been his second chance. Malone was his second chance to be a brother.  
  
Challenger's voice brought Roxton out of his thoughts. "What else do you know of Avalon, Malone?"  
  
"Enough to know that it could very well correspond with your theory about the energy of this place, Challenger."  
  
"How so?" Marguerite asked.  
  
"Well," said Malone, "all aspects of Avalon seem to deal with the power of women, and how the women of Avalon shaped Arthur's life and reign. Like I said earlier, there is the theory that the Lady of the Lake gave Arthur Excalibur. There is also a theory that Avalon is ruled by three women of great power, and these women were responsible for bringing Arthur's body to Avalon after his death. But, there is a dispute over who the women were. One theory says that the women who ruled Avalon were Igraine, who was Arthur's mother, and her two sisters-Viviane, who was the High Priestess and Lady of the Lake, and Morgause, who was out to use the power of Avalon for her own purposes. This theory also says that Arthur's sister, Morgaine is supposed to be the successor to Viviane as Lady of the Lake, but she was raised by Morgause, so it is possible that she would also abuse the power of Avalon. The second theory says that Morgause wasn't Igraine's sister at all, but one of her daughters. And she wasn't evil. Here, Avalon is ruled by Arthur's three sisters. Morgaine, Morgause, and Elaine. I also remember something about how their power was joined-something about the old and the new. But, I can't remember exactly what it was."  
  
"It could be the Triple Goddess," Marguerite answered.  
  
"What's that?" Roxton asked.  
  
"The Triple Goddess is an archetype used in many different cultures, including ancient Greece, and Celtic. It embodies the three stages of a woman's life-the maiden, the mother, and the crone-and is represented either by three separate women, or three phases of one woman. Either way, the Triple Goddess is considered the most powerful aspect of a woman. Three is considered a powerful number in pagan cultures. The Goddess represents many things that come in threes, like the waxing, waning, and full moon; birth, life, and death; or past, present, and future."  
  
"I think you're right, Marguerite," Malone answered. "I believe in the second theory I gave, Elaine represented the maiden, Morgause represented the mother, and Morgaine represented the crone."  
  
"Wait," Roxton said. "Wasn't Morgaine the person Gawain and Vordred mistook you for?"  
  
"Yes," Marguerite replied.  
  
"Hmm," Roxton mused.  
  
"What?" Marguerite demanded.  
  
"Oh, nothing," Roxton continued mischieviously. "I was just thinking that if you're Morgaine, I guess that makes you the crone."  
  
Marguerite's eyes widened in fury. "Lord Roxton, you are the most infuriating, the most maddening."  
  
"Easy Marguerite," Challenger said. "I think we just had a break through in solving our mystery. You can attack Roxton later."  
  
Marguerite shot daggers at Roxton with her eyes. The man was impossible...and she loved every minute of their banter almost as much as she loved him.  
  
"Now," Challenger continued, "Veronica, your mother told you that you invoked the power of the Goddess. I think if this Avalon is the same Avalon of Arthurian legend, it is very possible that this Triple Goddess could be real, and could be the very one your mother spoke of."  
  
"I suppose it could be," Veronica replied. "But, I don't think we'll be able to figure anything else out until we go to Avalon."  
  
"So, your mother said that all of us are to go on the journey to Avalon?" Malone asked.  
  
"Yes. That's what she told me. But, you don't have to...I mean, I'll understand if."  
  
"Veronica," Roxton interrupted, "we're all in this together. We're not going to abandon you on this quest."  
  
"Roxton's right," Ned added. "We'll be by your side every step of the way.  
  
Veronica could only smile and blush.  
  
"Well, I suppose Veronica's right," Challenger said. "We can't discover much more until we make the journey. Until then, I think maybe we should continue repairs around the tree house."  
  
"Thank you all so much for everything that you've done. This place must have been in pretty rough shape after that storm."  
  
"It's no problem, Veronica," Marguerite replied. "After all, this has been our house too for the last three years."  
  
"What can I do?" Malone asked.  
  
"You can go back to bed, Neddy boy," Roxton replied. "You're no good to us until you've had a long rest."  
  
Ned decided not to argue. He was still exhausted, and emotionally drained from caring for Veronica, and he found it infinitely easier to sleep now that she was ok.  
  
Veronica decided that she had had enough rest. The others wouldn't let her help, or even get up for that matter, so Finn brought her easel over, and she spent the afternoon painting a picture of her mother as she had seen her in her dream.  
  
Challenger and Finn paired up to finish the repairs on the elevator. They climbed down the ladder, and began to work. "I can't wait until this is done," Finn complained. "It's a big pain to have to climb up and down to the treehouse."  
  
Challenger smiled, "Youth is wasted on the young. I wouldn't be complaining if I could still climb as nimbly as you can."  
  
Finn laughed. After a few moments silence, she asked, "So what do you think this quest is that we're going on?"  
  
"I don't know, Finn. But I do know that it is important. Veronica's mother said that fulfilling this quest is her only way off of the Plateau. Now that Malone is back, I think she'll have a lot more interest in leaving this place. If they become closer, she'd be heartbroken if she didn't even have the choice to leave."  
  
"But, couldn't Malone just stay here?"  
  
"He could. And he's done it before when we tried to leave. But, I think Veronica is afraid that he couldn't be truly happy here, and I'm not so sure she's wrong on that account. Malone has grown a lot through his experiences on this Plateau, but he's cut out for a more civilized lifestyle. He's a journalist. It's in his blood. And no journalist is truly happy unless he has an audience to read what he writes."  
  
"Well, then, we only have one choice," Finn answered. "We have to make sure that Vee completes her task." ----------------------------------  
  
Meanwhile, Marguerite and Roxton were out gathering fruits and plants to restore part of their food supply.  
  
"A crone? You really think I'm a crone?" Marguerite yelled.  
  
"Come now, Marguerite, can't you take a joke?"  
  
"It was a terrible joke, and you are the most infuriating man I have  
ever met!"  
  
Roxton slipped an arm around Marguerite's waist. "And you, Miss Krux, are absolutely beautiful when you're infuriated," he whispered in her ear.  
  
"So you think you can just charm your way out of this, do you?"  
  
"Absolutely," he replied, leaning in to capture her lips. One hand found her mass of hair, while the other kept her firmly pressed against him.  
  
Marguerite gently broke the kiss, and whispered, "The others will be expecting us back soon."  
  
"I think they can do without us for a little longer," he said, lowering her to the grass.  
  
------------------------------  
  
Later that evening, after dinner, Malone and Veronica sat together on the balcony.  
  
"So what do you think of Finn?" Veronica asked.  
  
"Well, I haven't had a lot of time with her," Malone replied, "but she seems like a great kid. She thinks a lot of you."  
  
Veronica smiled. "She reminds me a lot of myself when I was a little younger. I think we can relate to each other." She paused for a moment, a little shy, then continued, "She told me how you took care of me the last few days-how you wouldn't leave my side. I don't know how to thank you."  
  
"It was my pleasure," Malone said, looking into her eyes. Before his journey, Malone would have amended that statement somehow, perhaps saying that it was the least he could do, since she saved all of their lives during the storm. But, though he still blushed a little from his bold statement, he felt no need to change his meaning. He wanted to leave Veronica in no doubt of his feelings. He was ready to step over the line that both of them had been tip toeing around for three years. He knew that now wasn't the appropriate time, but it would be soon. And until then, there was no harm in dropping hints.  
  
Right now, he had another topic that he needed to address with her. Everyone had avoided the subject, presumably so that he could be the one to tell her. He was a little nervous about talking to her about that night when he was in her bed, but she needed to know.  
  
"Veronica, there is something you need to know about the night when we found you, after the storm."  
  
"Aha!" Veronica thought. "He's going to tell me whatever it was that Finn wouldn't." Out loud, she said, "What is it, Ned?"  
  
"Okay, well, we told you about how we found you laying on the floor, that we moved you to the bed, and that you had a fever. But, we left out a few details. I think everyone else wanted me to tell you because it's a bit of a.um.delicate matter, and maybe you wouldn't want to discuss it around all of them."  
  
"Okay, well, tell me what it is," Veronica said, growing concerned.  
  
"You didn't have the fever when we found you. In fact, it was just the opposite. You were chilled to the bone. Challenger said that your temperature was dangerously low, and we needed to get you warmed up as fast as possible. He said that the best way to do that was to use body heat. That's why Marguerite changed you into one of her nightgowns. It would make you more comfortable, and it was thin enough that heat could get through it relatively quickly. Challenger's theory was that one of us should stay close to you, and wrap the covers around you and that person so the body heat was trapped in, like a cocoon. The others thought, well, that you um, might be more comfortable with me, so I did it. I held you close to keep you warm. I tried to stay awake, but I was so exhausted from my journey and the time warps. I feel asleep, and slept through the night. When I woke up, you were burning up with fever. I was worried, but Challenger said that's what he had hoped for because it was your body's way of fighting back. Anyway, I just thought you should know. I hope it doesn't make you uncomfortable or any."  
  
"Ned," Veronica interrupted, grabbing his hand, "you saved my life! I'm not uncomfortable, I'm grateful to you!"  
  
He was thankful that she was so easy going about it, though he didn't miss the blush that had appeared in her cheeks. He hoped that was a good sign- that her thinking of them so close together had caused the blush. "I'm just glad you're okay," Ned answered. "I don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
Veronica didn't answer, at least not verbally. She kept Ned's hand in hers, moved a little closer to him, and laid her head on his shoulder.  
  
TBC-once again, school calls, so I can't promise more chapters for sure till the weekend. 


	10. Haunting Memories

A/N: Special thanks again to TheChosenOne3 for helping me fill in some gaps in my knowledge of TLW. Enjoy, everyone!  
  
The next week was fairly uneventful. No one would let Veronica lift a finger, which made her regret telling them about the part in her dream when her mother instructed her to take it easy. She kept to her room most of the time to stay out of the way of the repairs on the tree house.  
  
She hated feeling useless, especially when there was so much work to be done not only in the house, but in preparation for their upcoming journey. But, they all insisted that she had saved their lives during that storm, and if anyone was indebted, it was they to her. So, when she wasn't resting, she spent her time poring over her parents' journals and drawing pictures of her mother. Knowing that she was going to see her again was overwhelming for Veronica. She had dreamed of that day for so long that it she was almost afraid to get her hopes up. But, deep inside she knew that it was really going to happen. And it was hard not to spend her waking moments obsessing over it, since she had nothing else to preoccupy her mind.  
  
Indeed, her friends had very little free time during that week. They were busy during the day, and exhausted in the evenings. However, they always found a few minutes to check on Veronica and see if she needed anything. She especially looked forward to the time of night when Malone stopped in to say good night. She never saw him when she emerged from her room for dinner. Lately, he and Roxton had been keeping long hours, trying to get as much work done as possible. She missed their talks. She had so much to ask him, and so much to tell. But, she knew that he was eager to start doing his share of the work again, and that once they began their journey, there would be plenty of time to talk. After all, if nothing else, they would be able to talk while they were on night watch duty. For now, she would just content herself with his nightly visits.  
  
He always seemed to find his way to her room just as her eye-lids were getting heavy. Tonight was no exception. She was propped up on pillows in bed, reading her parents' journals when she sensed him in the doorway. He hesitated entering. She smiled at him.  
  
"I'm not interrupting, am I?" he asked.  
  
"Of course, not. Come in," she replied.  
  
He returned her smile and sat in the chair next to her bed. "How was your day?"  
  
"Uneventful, as always," she replied.  
  
"I'm sorry. I know you don't like being cooped up in here. But you know that you're supposed to rest until you're completely recovered."  
  
"I know," she answered. "It's just tough watching all of you do the work while I sit here. I'm not used to it. But, the good news is, I think I'll be up and about soon." Malone smiled. "What?" she asked.  
  
"It's just that most people would milk this for all it's worth-they'd love to be able to lay in bed all day while everyone else does the work. But not you. You can't wait to be well again so that you can take some of the responsibility from the rest of us." He paused briefly, and then, "You're always looking out for us. You have been since the day we came to the Plateau. You have such a big heart."  
  
Veronica could see the admiration shining in his blue eyes. And something else.could it be love? She blushed at the thought, and quickly changed the subject, silently cursing herself for being so self-conscious. She couldn't help it though. In the past, they had been great friends who were able to talk to each other about anything. But, when it came to the possibility of a romance between them, Malone always seemed to fumble for words, and very rarely said anything to give her hope. However, lately, even though they didn't see much of each other, he seemed to have a newfound confidence when they were together. He didn't seem to fumble with words, or hesitate with gestures. He often took her hand in his as he said good night, and he openly gave her compliments, without justifying them with an excuse. "I did some more drawings today," she told him, pulling out her sketches. He was the only person with whom she shared these sketches. She showed the others the painting of her mother that she had done on the first afternoon that she was awake, but Malone was the only one who knew how occupied her mind was with thoughts of her mother-that she drew pictures of her everyday. Malone felt honored that she shared the sketches with him. In his eyes, she wasn't sharing sketches-she was sharing a part of herself. It was evident in what she drew. At first, the sketches were merely different perspectives of her mother as she saw her in the dream. But, then they started to become like a story. Veronica had begun to sketch scenes from her past-pictures of herself as a child with her mother and father, as well as her hopes for the future-her mother embracing her in a long awaited reunion.  
  
"These are beautiful, Veronica," Malone said. "You know, I missed this. How you would share your art with me, and I would share my journals with you. I kept a journal faithfully on my journey. Actually, I kept two journals-one for all of you, and one for myself. The first one contains accounts of things that I did and saw while I was away. It has pictures and descriptions of plants, animals, tribal rituals-things that I thought would interest all of you. The second one contains my personal thoughts and feelings-kind of an emotional journey to parallel the physical one. But, I soon realized that I was writing things in that journal that weren't meant only for me. That is, the way I wrote it.well, what I'm trying to say is I hope you'll do me the honor of reading both of the journals because there are things in them that I wrote especially for you."  
  
Alarm bells went off in Veronica's head. "I wrote it especially for you." Those words echoed in her ears over and over. Thomas Ducart had said something very similar in reference to the melody he was playing when Veronica met him. Veronica filled with shame, humiliation, and guilt- feelings she had tried to repress since Challenger saved her from Ducart's poison. She couldn't face Ned right now. She had been so happy to have him back in her life that she had forgotten about the terrible mistake she had made while he was away-a mistake she knew she would have to tell him about if she hoped to have a romantic future with him. But it was so hard! Granted, it wasn't like she'd cheated on him. They had made each other no promises. But she was afraid to see the look of disappointment in his face when she told him.afraid that he would lose any romantic interest in her. More importantly, afraid that he would lose all respect for her. She could deal with just being friends with Ned if she had to, but she could never deal with losing his respect.  
  
Veronica realized that Ned was staring at her, waiting for a response. She needed to get him out of here. She wasn't ready to tell him, and his keen reporter's instinct paired with how well he could read her would alert him that something was wrong if she let him stay any longer. "Um.I'd love to read them sometime, Malone. But, right now, I'm really tired. Maybe we could talk more in the morning."  
  
Ned was a little confused by her sudden distance. She always seemed sad to put an end to their evening visits, but now she seemed like she wanted nothing more than to get rid of him. Not to mention, she had called him 'Malone.' That wouldn't have seemed odd to him before he went on his journey. She had always called him by his first name a little more than the rest of the group, but more often than not, she had used his last name. However, he had noticed that since she woke from her fever, she always addressed him as "Ned." He had taken that as a sign that she was thinking of him on a more intimate level. After all, he noticed that Marguerite began referring to Roxton as "John" infinitely more as they grew closer. So hearing Veronica revert to "Malone" again dashed his hopes a little. "Sure, we'll talk more tomorrow. Sweet dreams, Veronica." He leaned down to kiss her forehead, and he could have sworn that she flinched a little.  
  
"Sweet dreams, Malone," she answered.  
  
He left her room and paused when he was out of her sight. "What's going on with you, Veronica?" he thought to himself. "I know something is wrong, and I'm going to find out what it is."  
  
Veronica turned out the lamp when he left, but sleep didn't come easily. She kept thinking about how Malone would react when she told him about her time with Ducart. When sleep finally did find her, it wasn't pleasant. In her dreams, she relived the pain and humiliation that Ducart had caused.  
  
TBC!! Longer chapter should be up tomorrow. M/R fans can look forward to a touching scene between the heiress and the hunter. And the journey to Avalon isn't far away! 


	11. Revelations

When Malone made his way into the kitchen the next morning, Roxton and Marguerite were already at the table, leaning towards each other, hands clasped. Roxton was speaking in a low voice, and Marguerite was smiling. Two thoughts crossed Malone's mind. The first was that Marguerite had obviously had her morning coffee. The second was that he was interrupting something, and perhaps he should leave them alone for awhile. However, just as he started to move towards his room again, Roxton saw him.  
  
"Good morning, Malone," Roxton said, removing his hands from Marguerite's, and reaching for his tea. A vexed look briefly passed over Marguerite's face, but she quickly changed it to a smile. After all, she was happy to have Malone back, and she would have plenty of time alone with John during their trip for supplies today.  
  
"Good morning, Roxton, Marguerite," Malone said as he made his way to the table.  
  
"Coffee, Malone?" Marguerite asked.  
  
"That would be wonderful," Malone replied.  
  
Marguerite poured him a cup. "Thanks. You know, I think coffee is definitely one of the things I missed most while I was gone."  
  
"Gee, thanks Malone," Marguerite smirked.  
  
Malone smiled. "Well, it goes without saying that I didn't miss anything as much as I missed all of you. But coffee was pretty high on the list-especially when I visited some of the colder areas of the Plateau."  
  
"You know, Malone," Roxton began, "once everything settles down again, we'd love to hear about your time exploring the Plateau. At least, as much of it as you want to share with us."  
  
Malone opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped by the sound of an extensive yawn. "Morning, everyone," Finn said, sleepily. "Has anyone seen Vee this morning? I went to her room to check on her, but she wasn't there. Her bed was made, and Marguerite's nightgown was laying on it."  
  
"No, I haven't seen her," said Marguerite.  
  
"I haven't seen her either," Roxton said. "Challenger," he said as the scientist emerged from the lab, "have you seen Veronica this morning?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, I have. She was up at dawn this morning, dressed and ready to work. I wouldn't let her leave until I was sure she was well, but her temperature was normal, she had color in her cheeks, and she was steady on her feet. She wanted to go to the Zanga village to see how they faired through the storm. I suggested that she wait until Finn or Malone could go with her, since we don't know what added dangers may have accumulated on the Plateau since the storm. But she didn't want to wait, so I made her take a mirror and a pistol so that she could signal us in the event of trouble. I think she was anxious to be useful, and to make sure that Assai and the Zanga are all right. Oh, John, if you could join me in the lab for a minute, I have something else to add to your supply list, and I want to show you what to look for."  
  
"Certainly, George," Roxton answered, following the professor back into the lab.  
  
"Wow," Finn said. "It's really odd that Vee didn't want to wait for one of us to go with her. Especially if it meant she would have some time with Malone." The reporter blushed a little, and Marguerite rolled her eyes at Finn's lack of discretion. "I mean, we all know that she's been waiting for this-OW!" Finn yelped, and rubbed her arm where Marguerite had pinched her.  
  
Marguerite took advantage of the younger girl's pause. "Yes, well, perhaps Veronica just wanted a little time to herself. She probably feels smothered, being trapped in this house for so long."  
  
"I hope that's it," Malone answered.  
  
Marguerite studied his expression. "Do you have reason to believe otherwise?" she asked.  
  
Malone proceeded to tell them about Veronica's sudden coolness the previous evening. After thinking on it a little, a knowing look passed over Marguerite's face, but she remained silent. Finn, on the other hand, wasn't so discrete. "Maybe she was thinking about that Ducart guy who said he wrote that song for her. Challenger told me about how he seduced her and tried to kill her. OW!!! Why do you keep doing that?" she backed away from the heiress, who had pinched her again.  
  
Marguerite silently cursed Challenger for revealing painful details of her friend's personal life to this tactless child. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe this was something so personal that it's not your place to talk about it? That maybe Veronica should be the one to tell Ned?"  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't think. . ."  
  
"No, you didn't think," Marguerite reprimanded. With a sigh, she said, "For your own safety, I'm not going to tell Veronica about this. But, please learn to have a little more tact in the future."  
  
Finn felt terrible. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Veronica, who had been like an older sister to her. Finn managed a small, "Okay," before exiting quickly towards the lab. She passed Roxton on the way, who briefly turned as she brushed past him, then looked at Marguerite and Malone with a slightly confused expression. When neither of them offered an explanation, he asked, "Are you almost ready to go, Marguerite?"  
  
"Yes, in a minute," she answered. Roxton nodded and went to his room to retrieve a knapsack. Marguerite looked at Malone. "Oh pick your jaw up off of the ground, Ned! How many times has Veronica watched you swoon over other women on this Plateau? It's about damn time that she had a little fun of her own." She softened a little as she saw the shame on the reporter's face. "He didn't mean as much to her as you do-not even close. She'll tell you about it when she's ready." She patted Malone on the shoulder as she walked past him to join Roxton, who was waiting at the elevator, which was working again.  
  
"My lady," he said, bowing slightly and handing Marguerite her hat and rifle.  
  
"Why thank you, Lord Roxton. But, maybe next time you could manage to bow a little lower. It helps to demonstrate your inferiority." She tossed a triumphant smile in his direction, and stepped gracefully onto the elevator with Roxton in hot pursuit.  
  
Malone managed a small smile, as the sound of their playful banter faded out of his hearing. His friends were obviously in love. His smile faded as he thought of Veronica. Something terrible had happened to Veronica while he was gone. Something that his presence might have prevented. He momentarily regretted his decision to stay away from his friends for so long. But, then he realized that even if he had been there, Veronica might have fallen for this other man anyway. The man that he had been before his journey hadn't been ready to put his heart on the line, especially after Veronica told him that she wanted to be friends. So, what would have stopped her from reaching out for someone else? "But I am ready to take that risk now," Malone thought. "I can't change the past. But I need to find out what happened so that I can do everything in my power to help Veronica."  
  
----------------  
  
"That was the last item on our list," Roxton said. "Guess we should head back to the tree house." The two had been out collecting supplies for the better part of four hours.  
  
"Do we have to head back so soon?" Marguerite asked. She decided to amend her meaning when she saw Roxton's self-satisfied smirk. As much as she adored him, she didn't need him to know just how much she had been longing to have time with him all week. "What I mean is, I'm absolutely starving, and you certainly can't expect me to walk the hour back to the tree house before I can eat."  
  
Roxton's smile broadened as he stopped walking and reached into his pack for the blanket. "Why Marguerite," he said, as he spread the blanket on the ground and sat on it, "if you wanted more quality time with me, all you had to do was ask."  
  
"Don't flatter yourself, Lord Roxton," she retaliated. "It's the food I'm after, not you."  
  
Instead of answering with the arrogance that Marguerite expected, Roxton took her hand and gently pulled her down to the blanket with him, so that she was sitting with her back resting against his chest. She smiled and laid her head against his shoulder. She liked their banter, but she also liked this softer side of Roxton-the side that reassured her that she wasn't just a novelty for him, and that he genuinely cared about her.  
  
He wrapped his arms around her, and spoke gently. "I know we haven't had a lot of time together since the night of the storm. We've all had a lot of work to do, and I've been spending a considerable amount of time paired up with Malone. I'm afraid I've been neglecting you."  
  
"It's okay," Marguerite replied. "You're glad to have him back. We all are. I know you've always felt a special bond with him, and it got even stronger after what he went through when he was hit with that poison dart and relived his experiences from the war."  
  
"Malone has been like a brother to me. I'll admit, when I first met him, he reminded me of William. I think perhaps I hoped he would fill the void that William left. But I've realized that no one can do that. No one can replace the brother I lost. But Malone, on his own merits, has become like another brother to me."  
  
Marguerite had retrieved their food from her knapsack and began feeding Roxton pieces of fruit. "Has he told you anything about his journey?"  
  
"Not really," Roxton answered. "He mentions little things in passing, but mostly he wants to know what went on here while he was away, so I fill him in."  
  
"Finn did a little of that herself today."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"She mentioned Ducart to Malone. She didn't go into much detail, but he was surprised to say the least."  
  
"How did she know about Ducart?" Roxton asked.  
  
"Challenger," Marguerite replied distastefully.  
  
"Good old George!" Roxton laughed. "Sometimes, I wonder if any rational thoughts cross his mind, aside from all things scientific. At any rate, I'm sure Veronica and Malone will work through it. He's not the same boy that left us. He's more confident now. I think he'll be able to help Veronica deal with her demons."  
  
"I hope so," Marguerite replied.  
  
They were silent for awhile as they fed each other fruit. Roxton had trouble thinking clearly as Marguerite's fingers lingered on his lips after each piece of fruit. He wondered if she had any idea what she was doing to him. He figured that she had to-she was a woman of the world, who never made a move without full knowledge of the consequences. Yet, she looked so innocent as she gently deposited the sweet fruit into his mouth. Finally, when he couldn't take the sweet torture anymore, he caught her hand in mid- air as she attempted to deliver another piece of mango to his lips, and captured her lips in a passionate kiss.  
  
When Roxton pulled away, he was shocked at what he saw-instead of the fiery look he expected to see, he found tears stuck in the heiress's eyes. "Why Marguerite, what's wrong?"  
  
Marguerite tried to pull herself together. "It's nothing, I'm just being silly."  
  
"I'll be the judge of that. Tell me what it is, love."  
  
The endearing term was her undoing, and the tears started to flow, much to Marguerite's vexation. "I was just thinking about how close I came to losing you."  
  
He pulled her close and stroked her hair while she cried. He was absolutely stunned. Granted, he was getting more accustomed to the heiress showing him her emotions, but not to this extreme. Marguerite had worked so hard to hide behind a mask, and never to let anyone see her pain. And now, here she was openly crying in his arms. Roxton felt honored that she could share this with him. It made him love her even more.  
  
But years of holding back couldn't be changed in five minutes. Marguerite soon regained her composure and pulled away from the hunter. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me. Enough silliness. We should probably start heading back to the tree house." She quickly wiped the tears off of her cheeks.  
  
Roxton pulled out a handkerchief and began dabbing the corners of her eyes. "They won't be expecting us back for awhile. I think it's time we talked about what happened that day, Marguerite. You put on a brave front when you told the others about what you went through, but I know there's more to it than that."  
  
Marguerite turned away from him and started to repack her knapsack. "Don't be silly. I was fine. I've been in near death situations before-we all have. It's a part of life on this Plateau."  
  
Roxton gently took her shoulders in his hands and turned her towards him, but she refused to meet his gaze. "Marguerite, we both know this wasn't just another close call. This made our entrapment in the cave seem like a minor inconvenience. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was terrified that day-terrified that I would never see you again."  
  
Marguerite looked up at him, hopefully. "Really?"  
  
"Yes," he answered, pulling her closer.  
  
Her tears started flowing again. "Oh John, I was so scared. For the first time, I felt like there was no escape. I found a situation that I couldn't get myself out of, and I didn't have the reassurance in the back of my mind that you would save me if I couldn't." She paused for a moment to catch her breath, trying not to lose her words in the sobs. "My biggest fear was that you didn't know how I felt about you."  
  
"Marguerite, of course I know how you feel."  
  
She pulled away from him slightly. "But, we never say it, John. We dance around the issue. We imply how we feel all the time through gestures, but never in words. And it's my fault. I've been so scared of what will happen in the future, when and if we get off this blasted Plateau, that I've been sabotaging my chance to be happy now. No more. I won't do it. I want you to hear the words. I love you, John Roxton, with all of my heart."  
  
Roxton was moved beyond description. He couldn't believe she'd said it. She didn't take it back, and she didn't tell him he'd misheard. She said the words specifically so that he knew how she felt. He took her face in his hands, and tried to collect his thoughts. There was so much he wanted to say to her. "From the moment I met you, I felt something between us-a strong attraction. But, over the last three years, it has become so much more than that. You've changed, Marguerite. You've become open and compassionate, but you also kept that fire and steel that first attracted me to you. You came into my heart the way no woman ever has before. What I'm trying to say is that I'm madly and deeply in love with you, Marguerite."  
  
Roxton leaned in and their lips met in a soft, tender kiss. When they broke the kiss, he took her into his arms and held her close. Both of them felt so vulnerable. They were two people who had hardened themselves against the world, and it wasn't easy for either of them to open up to anyone. But, they had finally done it. They had finally broken down each other's defenses. It took them three years, and many small steps, but they had succeeded. And each knew that no matter what the future would bring, they would face it together. 


	12. A sign

Challenger noticed a strange silence at dinner that night. He didn't know what had happened that day, but his fellow house mates seemed to be preoccupied. Finn, who had uncharacteristically spent the day silently performing every task that Challenger asked of her in the lab, seemed to be upset about something. Her shoulders were slumped, and she kept her eyes cast down. Veronica, who had arrived at the tree house just in time for dinner, seemed to be avoiding Malone's gaze. Malone, on the other hand, spent the entire meal starting intently at Veronica. Marguerite and Roxton might as well have been dining alone. Ever since they returned earlier that afternoon, they had no concept of anyone or anything else except each other.  
  
At one point, Challenger tried to begin a conversation by telling them about some experiments he was conducting on Arthur the beetle, but he gave up when he received no response. "Well, perhaps some good could come of this silence," he mused. "At least I have more time to think about my experiments."  
  
When the meal was over, each person cleared off their part of the table, and went in a different direction. Finn immediately went to her room to avoid Marguerite, Malone, and Veronica. Challenger retired to the lab to make more gun powder for their journey. Roxton and Marguerite went to the living room couch to enjoy each other's company. Veronica went out to the balcony to think. And Malone stayed at the kitchen table, his head in his hands, trying to put his thoughts together. He didn't want to push Veronica to open up to him, but at the same time, he wanted to let her know that she could talk to him about anything. After wrestling with the decision for awhile, he decided that he had to try to talk to her.  
  
Veronica sensed someone behind her. She knew it was Ned before she turned around. She had felt his eyes on her all through dinner. He obviously knew something was wrong, and she would have to face him soon.  
  
"Beautiful night," Ned commented, walking up beside her.  
  
"Yeah," Veronica responded, keeping her eyes on the stars above.  
  
He decided to ease her into conversation. "How was your trip to the village today? Are the Zanga dealing well the aftermath of the storm?"  
  
"They're managing well," Veronica answered. "They're doing a lot of repairs, and restocking supplies, just like all of you have been doing here. I talked to Assai and Jarl for a long time about what happened. I told them about our experiences and Challenger's theory of what happened. They seem to agree with him. They all went through similar experiences with the time warps. And after the blackout, they all ended up back in their village, just like all of you ended up here. That's the only thing that goes against Challenger's theory. He thought you all landed here because you were pulled towards the center of energy, but instead it seems like everyone was brought back to where they belong."  
  
"But what about me? I haven't been here for months. Why did I end up back at the tree house?"  
  
Veronica smiled at him, momentarily forgetting why she was avoiding him. She put her hand on his. "Because this is where you belong, Ned."  
  
Malone smiled back at her, and regained some of his lost hope. She'd called him "Ned" again. Whatever was plaguing her thoughts, whether it was this Ducart or something else, it wasn't strong enough to overcome her feelings for him. He knew this was his chance. He was going to find out what was wrong with her while she had her guard down.  
  
"Veronica, I was wondering-"  
  
"NED!" She interrupted. "Look! Do you see it?"  
  
Ned followed her gaze to the sky and was amazed at what he saw. "The stars! They're moving!" It truly was an astonishing sight. The stars seemed to be swirling, rearranging themselves in the sky. Finally, they stopped, apparently content with their new display.  
  
"Oh my God!" Veronica exclaimed.  
  
"They formed the shape of the Trion," Ned finished.  
  
"This is it, Ned! This is our sign! We have to tell the others. Tomorrow, we leave for Avalon." 


	13. Leaving Home

Veronica woke at dawn the next morning feeling refreshed. She knew she owed that to Ned. After they had seen the sign in the stars, they had called all of their friends out to the balcony. However, by the time everyone else got there, the stars were back to normal. But even though the other explorers didn't see the phenomenon, they didn't doubt that it happened. This was the Plateau, after all. A place where anything could happen. And Veronica's mother did tell her to look for a sign. If she said she saw it, they believed her.  
  
They spent a few moments sharing Veronica's happiness with her. She was finally going to see her mother! But the real celebration could wait until they were in Avalon. They had been preparing for the journey for the last few days, but now it was time to gather their supplies together and get their knapsacks ready for the morning. After that was done, everyone decided they had better make an early night of it. They wanted to leave at first light. They had all said their good nights, and Challenger, Finn, Marguerite, and Roxton had each gone to their rooms. But, Ned noticed Veronica lingering on the balcony, and he offered to make her tea to help her sleep. He said that he knew she would be too excited to sleep, and the tea would help. Despite the excitement, fter drinking the tea, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.  
  
"He knows me so well," Veronica thought as she yawned and stretched. A minute later, Ned tapped on the door, and poked his head in.  
  
"Good morning," he said, smiling.  
  
"Hi Ned," she answered, returning his smile.  
  
"Everyone else is up, and breakfast is made. We didn't want to wake you until the last possible minute. We weren't sure how much rest you had."  
  
"Thanks to you, I slept like a baby. I'll be out in a minute."  
  
"Okay." Ned hesitated at the door. "Um, Veronica? Do you think we could talk later? I mean, we'll have a lot of time while we're traveling. . ."  
  
Veronica's smile faded slightly. She knew he wanted to know what was wrong. "Sure, Ned. But, let's wait till night watch. We'll take the first shift together. I want to spend some time with Finn today. She seemed really down yesterday, even after we told her that we'd be starting the journey. I need to make sure she's okay."  
  
Ned nodded. "Sure. We'll talk tonight. Anyway, I'll let you get ready." He made his way back out to the kitchen. He felt a little guilty because he knew the cause of Finn's mood, and he felt bad that Marguerite had been hard on the girl on his and Veronica's behalf. Though, he had been touched that the heiress had defended their right to privacy. Her time on the Plateau certainly had changed her for the better.  
  
Veronica soon emerged from her room, and breakfast was shared in a bustle of energy and excitement. Even Finn added to the lively conversation. She felt like she had already ruined something for Veronica. She didn't want to ruin this too. She needed to put on a happy face for her friend.  
  
After the meal, the group wasted no time in moving to the elevator, where their supplies were waiting. Challenger, Finn, and Malone went down first. When the elevator came back up, Roxton and Marguerite stepped in. Veronica lingered in the center of the room. "Aren't you coming, Veronica?" Roxton asked.  
  
"You two go ahead. I just need a minute."  
  
Roxton smiled. "Of course."  
  
She looked around the tree house-the only home she had ever known. "I can't believe I'm going to see you again, Mom. Finally, after all these years. . ." She brushed a single tear off of her cheek, and slowly walked to the elevator. And as she descended to the ground, she wondered what destiny had in store for her. And she wondered if she would ever return to this tree house again.  
  
---------  
  
The group watched Veronica as she stepped off of the elevator. They knew she was filled with an array of emotions-joy and excitement to see her mother, confusion and wonder about her quest, hope of success and fear of failure. They each silently vowed to do everything in their power to help her though this - no matter what the outcome. She had helped them stay alive numerous times - from the first time she met them, when she saved Malone from a dangerous plant, to the most recent adventure when she pulled them out of the time warps. They all loved her very much, in so many different ways. To Challenger, she was like a daughter. She was a younger sister to Marguerite, and an older sister to Finn. Roxton viewed her as an equal, a comrade. And Ned. . .Ned loved her in many ways. . .as a best friend, a companion, a confidante. These were all things that she was aware of. But Ned was fairly sure that she wasn't aware of one other way that he loved her-romantically.  
  
Veronica tried to regain her composure on the elevator, but when she saw the looks of love, pride, and admiration on the faces of her friends - her family - it was enough to make her cry again. Marguerite sensed this, and knew that it was her cue to lighten the moment. But, for once, she couldn't think of any witty remarks or biting comments. Instead, she went over to Veronica and put her arm around her shoulder. "Ready to go see your mother?" Veronica nodded, and the group began their journey to Avalon.  
  
--------  
  
It didn't take Veronica long to regain her composure. Shortly after they began their journey, the explorers were attacked by raptors. Veronica was brought back into reality as she went one on one with a blood thirsty dinosaur. Luckily, there were only four raptors, so the group was only detained for a few minutes before they were back on their way.  
  
Once they were back on track, everyone began to pair off. Malone, knowing Veronica wanted time with Finn, walked with Challenger, talking to the scientist about various plants and things that he had seen during his travels. Of course, Roxton and Marguerite stayed side by side, and the rest of the group politely pretended not to notice their occasional displays of affection. Veronica kept close to Finn, hoping to draw out the cause of Finn's gloomy mood. But, Finn put on a guise of happiness, and suddenly became very inquisitive about Veronica's childhood. Veronica knew that Finn was trying to keep her occupied so that she wouldn't have a chance to ask what was wrong. She knew because that was exactly what she would be doing if she was walking with Ned - avoiding the subject that he wanted to discuss. Veronica decided to wait until she had an opportunity alone with Finn, away from the others. Perhaps that would make it easier for the younger woman to open up.  
  
It wasn't until dusk that Veronica had her chance. Challenger had spotted a new species of bug that he had never seen before, and was sitting against a tree, studying the insect, and Malone was with him, taking notes in his journal. Marguerite was stationed on a nearby boulder, and Roxton had gone to scout for a place to camp for the night. Veronica directed Finn to a spot a few feet away from the others.  
  
"Okay, Finn. It's just you and me. I want you to tell me what's been bothering you."  
  
"What are you talking about Vee? I'm perfectly. . ."  
  
"Finn," Veronica interrupted, "this is me you're talking to. Something went on yesterday to upset you, and I want to know what it is. Please. I want to help if I can."  
  
Veronica could tell that Finn was struggling with a decision. After a few moments, she decided to break down and tell Veronica what happened. "Oh Vee, I hope you don't hate me for this. I told Malone about you and Ducart."  
  
"WHAT?" Veronica cried out.  
  
"Yeah. I messed up pretty badly. I know. I'm so sorry, Vee. Malone was telling Marguerite and I that you had been acting weird, and it reminded me of what Challenger told me about you and Ducart. So, I blurted it out. I wasn't even thinking about the fact that Malone didn't know about it yet. Marguerite was furious with me. She said that I invaded your privacy and that you should have been the one to tell Malone."  
  
Veronica took a deep breath. She couldn't believe this! She was so worried about telling Malone about Ducart, and he already knew. Finn had revealed her most private experience. She wanted to scream. . .but the look on Finn's face prevented her. She could see the remorse in the younger girl's eyes. It was obvious how sorry she was.  
  
Veronica sighed, "It's okay, Finn."  
  
Finn looked at Veronica, shocked. She had been bracing herself for a harsh reprimand. "You mean it, Vee?" she asked cautiously, hoping this wasn't just the calm before the storm. "You don't hate me?"  
  
"Oh Finn, of course I don't hate you. You just made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. Besides, you probably did me a favor. I was struggling to figure out how I was going to tell Ned. Now I don't have to. I'm not saying what you did was right. It was still my place to tell him. But, it's done now. Just try to be more considerate of others from now on."  
  
"Oh I will! You're the best, Vee!!" she said as she hugged Veronica.  
  
"Why don't you go ahead and see if you can help Roxton set up camp?"  
  
"Sure," Finn said, as she took off for the clearing.  
  
Marguerite, who had silently witnessed the exchange between the other two women, walked up behind Veronica. "So, the little imp confessed?"  
  
"Yeah, she did."  
  
"And by the looks of it, you were entirely too easy on her."  
  
"I couldn't yell at her. It's obvious she's been beating herself up about this since it happened."  
  
"I just hope that she learns to be more respectful of other people's privacy."  
  
"I'm sure she will. She just isn't used to being a part of a family."  
  
Marguerite nodded. "That's true. I suppose it took a little getting used to for us all. Come on. We'd better get to camp. Who knows what she's telling Roxton."  
  
Veronica smiled, then looked back to where Malone and Challenger were sitting. "Are you two coming?" she asked.  
  
"We'll be there in a moment," Challenger answered. Before Veronica turned around again, she caught Ned's eye. He tossed a reassuring smile her way. She smiled back. As she and Marguerite walked away, it really hit Veronica that Ned knew about Ducart. He had known last night, and he had treated her no differently, except that he had seem concerned about her. And he had smiled at her just now. Maybe she hadn't lost his respect after all! Veronica actually found herself looking forward to the talk they would have tonight. She knew it would still be difficult to talk about her time with Ducart, but it was helpful to know that Ned wouldn't judge her. 


	14. Let's Talk

Roxton and Finn had a fire going by the time the other four arrived at the campsite, and it wasn't long before raptor meat was roasting over the embers. Veronica noticed that her friends rushed through dinner, and seemed eager to turn in for the night. She had told Marguerite about her plans to talk to Malone during night watch, and she suspected that the heiress had slyly passed the word around to the others, so that she and Malone could be alone sooner.  
  
Veronica put a little more wood on the fire and walked over to where Malone had stationed himself. "Here goes nothing," she thought, taking a deep breath.  
  
"Hi," she said.  
  
"Hi," Ned replied, with a small smile.  
  
Veronica decided to try small talk first. "So did Challenger find a new experiment?"  
  
"You mean that bug? Not really. He had me take a few notes, but that was it. I guess it just wasn't as exciting as Arthur the Beetle. Did you know that Arthur is on this journey with us? Challenger actually has that beetle in a little cage in his knapsack?"  
  
"Are you kidding?" Veronica asked. Ned shook his head, and both of them laughed. "I guess he really is attached to that little guy."  
  
"Yeah," Ned answered. Their laughter died down, and there was silence again. Ned decided to get to the point. "Veronica, did I do something wrong? You were kind of aloof when I came to see you the other night, and I didn't even get to talk to you yesterday until after dinner. I feel like you've been avoiding me, and I'd like to know why. I want to know what I can do to make things better."  
  
"Ned, of course you didn't do anything wrong. To be honest, you said something the other night that reminded me of a bad experience I had with a man named Thomas Ducart while you were gone. It was the first time in awhile that I had thought about him, and it occurred to me that I should tell you about it. That worried me. I just wasn't sure how you would react. I guess I didn't need to waste all of that time figuring out how to bring it up after all. Finn confessed that she accidentally told you."  
  
Ned nodded. "She gave me a brief run down. Marguerite didn't let her get very far with the details."  
  
"Well, if you want to hear about it, I'd like to share it with you."  
  
"I'd like that," Ned replied.  
  
Veronica looked straight ahead into the jungle as she began. She was already a little shy and embarrassed to talk about this with him, and it would be harder for her if she had to look him in the eye. She took a deep breath and began. "It was hard for me when I found my way back to the tree house and found out that you had gone off on your own. That day that I got lost with the balloon, I felt like you and I had left things unfinished. . .I mean, we had a great conversation, and we had established that things were okay between us, but there was still so much left unsaid. I didn't even get to tell you about the things that I read in the journal of my parents' that you found.  
  
I understood why you left after the others told me about what you went through when you were hit by that dart, and after I read your letter. But I still missed you every day. The whole time that I was trying to get back home, I kept thinking of things I wanted to tell you. When you weren't back, I wondered if I would ever get to say them.  
  
I started to feel like an outsider at the tree house. Challenger was always so occupied with his experiments, and Marguerite and Roxton seemed so wrapped up in each other. I know they all missed you too. I guess they were just dealing with it better than I was. But one morning, I woke up so angry at all of them, and I lost all patience with them when they came home acting so happy, and having so much fun. I just wanted to be alone. So, I went out to take a swim to clear my head. While I was walking, I heard the most beautiful piano music coming from a fog-covered valley. I decided to follow the music, and I discovered a village in the middle of the fog. As soon as I stepped into the village, my clothes changed into a beautiful white dress and I had on jewelry and combs in my hair. I should have known something was wrong then. But my instincts didn't seem to be working. All I could concentrate on was that beautiful music. It didn't take me long to find out where it was coming from. I went into a building, and down a staircase. I opened a door and saw a handsome man sitting at a piano. He said that he had been waiting for my visit and that he wrote his music just for me."  
  
"That's what I said," Ned interrupted quietly. "I said that I wrote some things in my journal especially for you. That's what made you think of him."  
  
"Yes," Veronica answered. She paused, unsure of whether or not to continue.  
  
"I'm sorry," Ned said. "I didn't mean to interrupt."  
  
"It's okay. Anyway, he told me his name was Thomas Ducart, and that he had seen me in the village before. He thought we were in Germany one hundred years ago. I explained to him about the Plateau. He asked if he could come with me to the jungle. When we left the village, I looked like myself again. He was amazed by the jungle and everything in it."  
  
"Including you," Ned added silently. Even though he could only see her profile, he could tell by her expressions that she was censuring her story, either out of modesty, concern for his feelings, or both. Finn had said that Ducart had seduced Veronica. Ned was sure the seduction began from the minute she opened that door. But he stayed silent. Whatever she was willing to share with him, he was willing to hear. And perhaps there were some parts that his heart would rather not hear anyway.  
  
Veronica went on. "I took him to the tree house to meet the others. Marguerite and Roxton weren't there, but Challenger was and he was immediately skeptical of Ducart. I should have listened to him. Anyway, after our encounter with Challenger, Thomas and I went on a walk together. We came across a triceratops. I pulled Thomas out of the way. We fell to the ground and rolled a few times. He. . .landed on top of me. Then we. . .we went. . .to the river." Veronica paused.  
  
Ned could see the tears rolling down her cheeks now. He took her hand, and she looked over at him. She didn't need to tell him what happened next. He could tell from the look of humiliation on her face. Ducart's seduction had obviously worked. Ned wasn't sure how far they had gone, but it was obvious that Ducart and Veronica had been physical, and she was now ashamed of it. He reached over and brushed the tears off of her cheeks. "It's okay," he reassured her. "You don't owe me an explanation about anything." Inside, his heart was breaking. He thought of Marguerite's comment about the other women he had pursued on the Plateau. He finally knew what it must have felt like for Veronica to watch him kiss other women. Worse yet, what she went through seeing him with Kaya. He hated the thought of her in another man's arms. But he kept all of this to himself, and patiently waited for her to regain her composure and continue.  
  
"I walked him back to the hill above his village. I promised to wait there for him the next day. I went back to the tree house and had an awful fight with Challenger about him. I left and immediately went back to the hill. Ducart found his way back there too. He had a slightly wild look in his eyes, but I passed it off as excitement over our new romance. Yet another time when my instincts let me down. He wanted me to go live with him in his village. I told him repeatedly that I couldn't. He got upset, but recovered quickly and asked me to at least go listen to him play again. I went. He led me to the building where I first saw him. He gave me a glass of wine, and told me to sit on the bed and watch him play. As he played, he revealed the real reason why he wanted me. I looked like Julia Gesh, the woman he was in love with. I tried to leave, but he fought me. I started to feel strange and weak. I couldn't fight him off. He told me that he had laced my wine with hemlock, the same poison Julia drank to kill herself. That was his plan. Once the hemlock killed me, I would be with him forever. Challenger saved me. He killed Ducart - at least as much as you can kill someone who was already dead. Marguerite, Roxton, and Challenger were able to fill in the rest of the gaps - how he had taken advantage of Julia Gesh, an innocent girl who didn't know he was already married. And how he had shot his brother-in-law and wife." Veronica began to break down again. "How could I be so stupid? How could I believe that he was falling in love with me? How could I let him touch me?"  
  
Ned pulled her into his arms and held her against his chest. All he could think of was that Ducart was lucky he was dead because if he wasn't, Ned would have fixed that. Veronica didn't deserve to be treated like that! No one deserved that, but especially not Veronica. She had spent her life surviving on her own. She deserved someone wonderful to share her life with. And Ned hoped to be that person. But right now, he needed to get her through this.  
  
Marguerite and Roxton, who had been quietly chatting a few feet away from Ned and Veronica, heard Veronica's sobs. Marguerite gave Roxton a knowing look, he nodded, and they picked up their guns and headed over to the other couple. "Why don't you let us take over," Roxton said. "Just make sure she gets a good night's sleep."  
  
"Are you sure," Ned asked."  
  
"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Neddy-boy," Marguerite quipped. The reporter smiled at her, and he helped Veronica to her feet.  
  
"Come on," he whispered to the jungle beauty. "Let's go over to the blankets."  
  
Veronica slowly made her way over to where her blanket and knapsack were sitting. Ned went to follow her, but Marguerite caught his arm. "Take care of her," she said gently. "I don't think she really dealt with this the first time around. What she needs now is a good cry, and a shoulder to do it on."  
  
"Thanks," Ned answered. "I'll take care of her."  
  
He went over to Veronica, who was curled up in a ball on her blanket. He lay down beside her and pulled her close to him. She buried her head in his chest. He could never remember Veronica letting herself be this vulnerable. She had always been so strong. Even when she was upset, she was always able to shake it off quickly. He figured that after all of those years of pushing her feelings aside, it was probably way past due for her to let them out. He stroked her hair and whispered reassurances to her.  
  
When Roxton and Marguerite looked over at the younger couple fifteen minutes later, they were both asleep. Ned had his arms around Veronica, and her head was resting comfortably on his chest.  
  
"Looks like they're making progress," Roxton commented.  
  
"Yes, but they still have a long way to go," Marguerite replied. This journey will be a big test for them, especially if Veronica fails on this quest of hers."  
  
"Hopefully soon, they'll realize what we did. . .that life's just too short to ignore happiness when it's right in front of you." He slipped his arm around Marguerite's waist, and she dropped her head onto his shoulder. 


	15. Morning Thoughts

A/N: Thanks so much to all who have reviewed!!! I really appreciate the input!! I managed to find some time to actually do some writing on a weeknight, so here's a new chapter. It deals a lot with Challenger because I feel like I've been neglecting him. I love all the characters, so I want to let them all have their fair share of story time. Hope you like it!  
  
Challenger sat propped against a tree stump and stared out into the jungle. Finn, who was supposed to be on watch with him, was slumped beside him, dozing. Challenger didn't have the heart to wake her. It was almost dawn, and he would have to wake them all soon anyway. He looked over his shoulder at the rest of his tree house family. Marguerite was snuggled up to Roxton with her back against his chest, and his arms firmly wrapped around her. Challenger was a little surprised to see this, but happy. The two of them were usually much more discrete around the others, but something had obviously changed.  
  
A few feet away, Ned and Veronica were similarly arranged. Her head was resting on his shoulder, and he had one arm wrapped around her shoulder, and the other was covering her hand, which was resting on his chest.  
  
Challenger smiled. It was good to see that his friends were finally learning that time is too precious to waste being scared. He knew that none of them thought that he had any idealistic notions, or a romantic bone in his body. Roxton, Marguerite, and Veronica had seemed a little surprised at his description of love after Veronica's encounter with Ducart- how he said it was always worth the effort. He knew they all loved him and thought highly of him. But, they thought his mind was always engaged scientifically and logically. Usually, it was. But, underneath it all, he was a romantic. Though, it was better to let them go on thinking about him as the scientist-that way, he could meddle without being suspected. His smile grew larger as he recalled overhearing Marguerite cursing him out for telling Finn about Ducart. Neither she, nor the others would ever suspect that he told Finn purposely, knowing that she would let it slip to Malone. After all, these young people needed some help if they were ever going to get together. He knew Veronica would struggle with telling Malone. Finn telling him first would give her a little push, and make her face Malone, and he would help her finally deal with her emotions and put Ducart behind her.  
  
He also found it amusing that no one ever noticed how he always seemed to find a reason to send Marguerite and Roxton off together, frequently on a quest that required them to stay overnight. Or, if they did notice, they didn't know his motives for doing so. They probably just thought that the hunter and the heiress were his favorite victims for gathering supplies for his experiments. They didn't suspect that he wanted to give them time alone together. He knew they were both proud and stubborn. They were also two people who didn't easily show their emotions to others. Therefore, he knew that they would never make themselves vulnerable to each other if they were always surrounded by the rest of the group. They needed the opportunity to be alone together for them to really open up to each other, so Challenger gave them excuses to have that time together.  
  
Challenger knew he hadn't always been this romantic. As a young man, he had been very driven and dedicated to his science. "Yet, somehow, I was still lucky enough to win Jessie's heart," he mused to himself. Though, even Jessie wasn't enough to deter him from his science. The turning point for Challenger had come much later in his life. It had been on this Plateau. He started to realize how precious life was when Summerlee disappeared. It was ironic. He had worked so hard at discrediting Summerlee's work, and in the end, Summerlee was the one who taught him the most important lesson he had ever learned-that family and friends are the most important things in life. Challenger knew what was important now. He still valued science very much, but he knew that if. . .no, when he got back to London, he would work harder at his marriage and take less time for his work. Jessie deserved better than the workaholic who left for this journey.  
  
Challenger's thoughts were interrupted by someone stirring. He turned to see Veronica gently wiggling out of Ned's grasp. She crept around the campsite, picking up everyone's canteens, and then went over to Challenger. "Good morning, Veronica," he whispered.  
  
"Good morning, Challenger," she said, trying unsuccessfully to return his smile. "I'm going to the river to fill these up, and I'll see if I can catch some fish for breakfast."  
  
Challenger nodded and watched the blonde walk away. He knew she wouldn't give in to her emotions that easily. She was going to try to put up that wall again. But he also knew that with Ned's help and determination, she wouldn't keep it up long.  
  
Challenger decided it was probably time to wake the others. "Finn," he said, shaking her gently. "Finn, wake up."  
  
She looked up at him, sleepily. "Wha-- Oh my gosh! I fell asleep on watch! I'm so sorry, Challenger!"  
  
"It's okay, my dear," Challenger replied. "No harm done. You've been out for twenty minutes at the most. But, it is time to get up now."  
  
Finn wiped the sleep out of her eyes and stretched as Challenger called out to the others. "Roxton! Marguerite! Malone!"  
  
Roxton's eyes popped open. He kept his arms around Marguerite, but lifted his head to look at Challenger. "SHH! You'll wake it!"  
  
Finn laughed. "Roxton! You just called Marguerite 'it'!"  
  
Roxton replied, "I wasn't talking about Marguerite. I was talking about the beast that possesses her body before she has her morning coffee."  
  
Finn laughed at the mingling of amusement and fear in the hunter's eyes when Marguerite said, "The beast is awake, so you'd better get moving on that coffee."  
  
Challenger and Finn turned away as Roxton and Marguerite greeted each other good morning.  
  
"So I'm a beast, am I?" Marguerite whispered to him.  
  
"Only in the best possible sense of the word," he teased as he leaned in to kiss her.  
  
Malone began to stir, and the four explorers looked in his direction. They all noticed how he reached for the empty space at his side, where Veronica had been all night. Not finding her, he immediately woke up. He was about to speak, but Marguerite beat him to it. "Where's Veronica?" she asked Challenger.  
  
"Oh, she just went down to the river to fill up canteens and to see if she could catch some fish for breakfast."  
  
"Well, I think I'll go help her," Marguerite said, putting on her boots. "I need to wash up anyway. And while I'm gone, Lord Roxton, you'd better get started on that coffee!"  
  
"Your wish is my command, your royal beastliness," Roxton winked at her, and began to help Finn and Challenger resurrect the fire.  
  
Marguerite paused, noticing Malone's crestfallen look. She knew he was wondering why Veronica took off this morning after they had bonded last night. She walked over to the reporter. "She's a proud woman, Ned. We all know that. She's probably a little embarrassed about allowing herself to finally open up about her feelings. She'll come around."  
  
"Thanks," Ned answered, still a little disheartened.  
  
Marguerite gave him a smile and an encouraging squeeze on the shoulder and walked in the direction of the river. She was hoping a little girl talk would help Veronica. She thought back to the reporter. It was amazing how much her relationships with everyone had developed over three years, but especially with Malone. Who would have ever guessed that the heiress would ever stop tormenting him and become his number one comforter? Marguerite thought that no one could possibly be as surprised as she was in herself.  
  
TBC-coming up, Marguerite and Veronica have a little talk. One day in the journey down-two to go. What will Avalon have in store for our friends? And what is Veronica's quest. Stay tuned! ( 


	16. Girl Talk

Marguerite made her way down to the river, and immediately spotted Veronica, who was crouched beside the water, filling up canteens. The blonde huntress had obviously been busy that morning. There were almost a dozen small fish beside her.  
  
"Need some help?" Marguerite asked as she approached. She knew she had better say something to announce her arrival, or she would find herself on the wrong end of Veronica's dagger. Like Roxton, Veronica's instincts were sharp, and neither appreciated being crept up on because their immediate reaction was to attack.  
  
Veronica looked over her shoulder. "No thanks," she told the heiress. "I'm on the last canteen."  
  
"All right," Marguerite replied. She bent down to the water and began to wash with her handkerchief. "Looks like it will be a fine day for travelling. The humidity is low." Veronica simply nodded, and managed a small smile. Marguerite thought to herself, "Okay, small talk isn't working. Might as well get to the point." Out loud she began, "Veronica, about last night. . ."  
  
"I don't want to talk about it," Veronica interrupted sharply. She immediately regretted it. Marguerite had been a good friend to her, especially while Malone was away on his journey. She didn't deserve Veronica's anger. "I'm sorry," she continued. "I didn't mean to snap at you."  
  
Marguerite smiled reassuringly. "It's all right. I know last night was difficult for you. But, that's why I think you should talk about it. You shouldn't keep everything bottled up inside."  
  
Veronica set the canteen down beside the others, and sat a little further from the water. After a long pause, she began quietly. "I guess I didn't realize how much it still hurts to think about what happened with Thomas. I knew it would be hard to tell Ned about it, but not that hard. I guess I tried too hard to push it to the back of my mind after it happened."  
  
Marguerite nodded, understanding. "This Plateau constantly puts all of us into impossible situations. We always seem to be risking our lives, confronting our pasts, or being tempted by something or someone. And we usually just put everything in the back of our minds and start fresh the next day, as if nothing had happened. But, with everything that happens, it's impossible for all of us to be strong all of the time. We all have our breaking point. And we're all slowly learning that we have to deal with these situations as they come so that we don't have to reach that point." Marguerite moved closer to where Veronica was sitting. "Don't make the same mistakes I made, Veronica. Don't be ashamed of feeling. And don't be afraid of letting people help you. I shut John out for the longest time. Don't shut Ned out. Time is too precious. I finally realized that." She decided it was time to confide in Veronica about her feelings for Roxton. It was the only way to help her understand. "You know, when John and I were trapped in that cave, we thought there was no way out. We thought we were going to die that day. That was when it really hit me - all the time that we had been wasting. I had so many regrets. I thought of all of the chances I had to tell him how I felt, and I never did. Sometimes, I came close to telling him, usually due to a near death situation. But, after the situation passed, I would always make up some excuse for what I said. Even after he told me that he loved me, I couldn't say it back. But finally, that day in the cave, I told him that I loved him."  
  
Veronica smiled. "Really?" she asked.  
  
"Yes. But once we were out of the cave, I fell back into the same pattern. The first thing I did was ask him to keep what happened between us a secret. And he graciously agreed. But, that came back to haunt me when we got caught in those shifting planes of reality. I found myself in another deadly situation - one far worse than I had ever been in before. But this time, there was no Roxton there to save me. And this time, I didn't have the opportunity to tell him how I felt. I was going to die wondering if he knew how much I loved him, or if I had put doubts in his mind by wanting to keep it quiet, and not talking about it. And even after that danger had passed, I still took things for granted - until the other day when Roxton and I were out together. I tried to shut him out again, but he wouldn't let me, and we both finally opened up to each other."  
  
"I'm so glad, Marguerite. You and Roxton both deserve happiness. And it's obvious to all of us how happy you make each other. But, things are different with Ned and I, especially now that I know there's a chance that I may never be allowed to leave this Plateau."  
  
"But, don't you see? That's one of the reasons I shut Roxton out for so long. I was worried about what would happen once we got off of this Plateau - once we got back to London. He still doesn't know exactly what he's in for. And I still don't know how we're going to deal with everything when that day comes. But, I finally realized that it doesn't make sense to stay miserable worrying about the future when you can have happiness today. If you love Ned, and I think you do, then grab onto that happiness now. You can worry about the future when the time comes. He loves you, Veronica. You should have seen his face when you weren't there this morning. He was crushed."  
  
"He was?" Veronica asked.  
  
Marguerite nodded. "Listen, I know it's difficult. I just want you to think about it. For now, we should probably get back with those fish."  
  
"You're right. Let's go." Both women rose. Marguerite grabbed the canteens and Veronica picked up the fish. "Marguerite? Was that all that happened between you and Roxton in that cave?"  
  
Marguerite smiled slyly.  
  
---------  
  
Meanwhile, back at the campsite. . .  
  
Ned was astonished. He had known about Roxton's arrest for the stolen iridium, and that his arrest had been a cover up for an agent who was working to gather information for the British. Roxton had revealed that to him after Ned had relived his own nightmares from the Great War. He had thought it an amazing coincidence that Roxton was involved in the scandal that he had been covering for his newspaper. But to find out that Marguerite had been that agent - not to mention that Summerlee and Challenger had been involved as well. "You mean to tell me that not only was Marguerite the triple agent that you were telling me about, but she was also the Black Widow of Vienna?"  
  
Roxton laughed. "Yes. Illuminating, isn't it?" He smiled devilishly. Before he could comment further, laughter came from the direction of the river. "Now that sounds promising. Looks like she eased Veronica's mind a bit. Black Widow or not, she has a heart of gold now."  
  
"She certainly does," Malone agreed.  
  
Marguerite and Veronica emerged from the jungle, laughing.  
  
"Finally," Finn said. "I'm starving."  
  
Veronica set the fish down beside the fire and approached Malone, who was writing in his journal. "Hi," she said shyly.  
  
He put down his pencil, and looked up at her with a tentative smile. "Hi. How did you sleep?" he asked.  
  
Veronica blushed a little, thinking of how good it felt to be in his arms all night. "I slept well."  
  
"I don't think the others are as well rested as we are. Maybe we should offer to take an extra long watch tonight so that they can catch up."  
  
"That's a good idea," Veronica replied. "Maybe we could talk some more tonight."  
  
"I'd like that," Ned replied softly. Veronica smiled at him, then went over to talk to Finn while Ned continued writing in his journal.  
  
Marguerite walked over to Roxton, who handed her a cup. "Your coffee awaits, my lady."  
  
"Thank you, Lord Roxton," she answered, smiling.  
  
"May I ask what was so funny?" Roxton inquired.  
  
"You may," Marguerite replied. "But don't expect an answer," she teased. Roxton shot her a curious look, and began to help Challenger, who was cleaning the fish.  
  
TBC!! 


	17. More Than Friends?

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to update! Things have been crazy at school! The bad news is, it's only going to get worse-finals are coming up. The good news is that I have a break from classes from mid- December to mid-January, so if I don't get a chance to update often in the next three weeks, I will have a month where I will be devoted to this story. I'm still VERY excited about where it's going. Thanks for all of the reviews!!! I hope you're all still reading. LMR-don't worry about Summerlee-he hasn't been far from my thoughts since I started writing this, and I think you'll be happy with the part that he'll play. And now, for the feature presentation..  
  
The group set out again after breakfast. "How do we even know where we're going?" Finn asked.  
  
"My mother said to walk in the direction of the Inland Sea," Veronica replied.  
  
"Yes, but we passed that yesterday," Finn reminded her.  
  
"I have a feeling that was just to give us a general direction, Finn."  
  
"But Vee, we don't even know what we're looking for. She just told you to pack supplies for three days and three nights."  
  
Marguerite was aware of Veronica's frustration before she even saw it on her face. Ever since Veronica regained her memories of what happened to her parents, Finn had been skeptical of all of it-especially Veronica's mother being in Avalon. Marguerite had to admit, she was a little skeptical at first too. But at least she never let it show to Veronica. She had been supportive of her. Finn had always been very vocal about her suspicions. Marguerite supposed it was Finn's way of voicing concern for Veronica-but she also knew that it wasn't going to seem that way to Veronica. Veronica was clearly hurt and frustrated by the younger woman's doubts. And Marguerite was convinced now more than ever that the doubts were unfounded, and it seemed that the others felt the same way. They all knew too well never to doubt any possibilities on the Plateau.  
  
Marguerite knew she had to do something to keep the peace between the two younger women. "Finn, I think I see some berry bushes in the distance. Let's go pick some to have for lunch later."  
  
Finn was not easily deterred. She honestly believed she had Veronica's best interest in mind, and she didn't want to see Veronica get hurt if everything about Avalon and her mother turned out to be a dream. "Can't you get Roxton to go with you?" she asked.  
  
"As you can see, Roxton is talking to Malone. They still have a lot to catch up on, and it would be quite rude to interrupt them." "Besides," she continued, grabbing Finn's arm in a gentle but firm manner, "you and I haven't had a chance to chat for awhile."  
  
Finn soon found herself being pulled ahead of the group towards the berry bushes. Veronica couldn't help but smile. "So this is what it's like to have an older sister take care of you," she thought to herself. She was grateful to Marguerite yet again. Though, to be fair, she knew she shouldn't be mad at Finn for being skeptical. Veronica remembered a time when she was constantly suspicious - that began to change when she met this group of explorers. They taught her that there were things that she could let herself believe in-and other people in the world that she could count on.  
  
-------  
  
"What was that all about back there?" Finn asked.  
  
"I could ask you the same thing," Marguerite replied. "Are you trying to upset Veronica?"  
  
"No, I'm trying to make her be realistic. Someone has to. All of you seem to be just as caught up in this as she is. But the truth is, we have no idea if we're even going to find her mother, or if her mother really is still alive. If this Avalon place really exists, why haven't any of you found it in the three years that you've been here?"  
  
"I'm surprised at you, Finn. You were raised on this Plateau, just like Veronica. I would think that you of all people would understand that anything is possible here. Not to mention, I thought by now you would have a little more faith in all of us. Think about it, Finn. I know you feel that Veronica is too emotionally involved to be rational, but what about the rest of us? Challenger is a scientist-he doesn't believe in anything he can't explain. Roxton prefers adventures that have tangible rewards-he hates wild goose chases. I'm a self-proclaimed cynic. And I know you haven't known Malone very long, but he's a reporter-he's naturally skeptical of anything. Yet, all of us are willing to accept that things are not always what they seem on this Plateau. After everything that's happened, we truly believe that Avalon exists, and that Veronica is finally going to be reunited with her mother. We wouldn't have agreed to this journey if we didn't think that was a good possibility. We love her too, Finn. We don't want to see her get hurt either."  
  
Finn paused for a moment to let Marguerite's comments sink in. "I guess I wasn't really thinking of it that way," she replied. "It's just that in the aftermath of the storm, I was the one who had to think straight because all of you were so caught up in what had happened, and I felt like it was happening again. It seemed that I was the only one thinking rationally. But I guess I was just the only one who didn't trust Vee. She's really lucky to have all of you."  
  
Marguerite felt that annoying soft spot creep up on her again. "Finn, she's lucky to have you too. It's not that you didn't trust her. You were following your instincts. But it's time you learned something that was very hard for all of us to learn-you need to have a little faith in the rest of us. We all look out for each other. And you know, Veronica's not the only one we care about. We care about you too."  
  
Finn's eyes misted a bit. "Thanks Marguerite! That means a lot to me." Before Marguerite knew what was happening, Finn pulled her into a hug. But the shocked look on the heiress's face soon turned to a soft smile.  
  
"Come on," Marguerite said. "Let's pick some berries."  
  
-------  
  
The rest of the day was fairly uneventful...well, uneventful for the Plateau. The group had to fend off a few raptors, duck away from a triceratops, and outsmart a clan of cannibals. But, they kept walking, and before they knew it, the day was over. As dusk approached, they prepared to make camp for the second night of their journey. After dinner, while the rest of the group prepared for sleep, Malone and Veronica took their positions for night watch.  
  
"Looks like it's going to be another beautiful night," Ned commented.  
  
"Yeah. The stars are beautiful."  
  
They were both silent for a minute-both wondering where to start. Finally, Veronica spoke. "I wanted to thank you for last night, Ned," she said. "I think you know that it's not easy for me to open up to anyone, but it really helped to talk last night."  
  
"I was glad to be able to listen," Ned replied. "I'm just sorry that you got hurt."  
  
Veronica shrugged. "Getting hurt is a part of life. We make mistakes and then we learn from them."  
  
"Yeah. I learned a lot about that while I was away. I came to a lot of realizations about my life..things that I'd done, things I wished I'd done, mistakes that I made."  
  
"Like what?" Veronica asked.  
  
"Well, I'd say the biggest mistake was how I was living my life. It was all wrong, and I never even realized it until my memories of the war resurfaced. Three men died to save me, Veronica. And with the way things were going, their deaths were going to be in vain. First, I was living too cautiously. I wrote about what everyone else was doing, but never took the time to really do anything of significance myself. After I came back from the spirit world, I went to the other extreme. I acted recklessly, in complete disregard for the gift that those men had given to me . my life. I think I finally found my place while I was away. I learned how to be adventurous with my life without being self-destructive. I learned that I'm not a coward after all. Those men knew that-it took my years to figure it out, but they knew it. And I finally realized that I don't have to prove myself to anyone. I have to live my life for me, and find all of the happiness that I can along the way. That's what those men died for. They died to give me that chance, and I'm going to take it."  
  
Ned was so caught up in the moment-the memories of his emotional journey, the power of his words, the intensity in Veronica's eyes as she listened to him. He let go of all of his inhibitions and did what felt right. He pulled Veronica into his arms and kissed her. It was a different kiss from those they had shared before. Veronica noticed it immediately. She had always enjoyed kissing Ned, but there was always a feeling of tentativeness and restraint behind the kisses, even that night in the lake. This was nothing like that. Ned was holding nothing back. He was confident, and as a result, passionate.  
  
Neither wanted the kiss to end, but they both knew there was still more to say. Ned reluctantly pulled away, but didn't put much distance between them. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "I realized something else on my journey," he whispered. She looked at him in anticipation. "You're the one and only woman in my heart. I know it took far too long to realize that, but I know it now. I was so confused in the past. I came to this Plateau to impress Gladys. I thought she was the woman that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I was wrong. I finally realized that if I had to travel all the way to the Amazon to prove myself to her, then she's not worth it. But, I do owe her a great deal. Because of her obsession with adventurers, I got to come to this Plateau and meet you."  
  
"Are you actually admitting that it isn't so bad to be stuck on this Plateau?" Veronica asked playfully.  
  
Ned smiled. "I guess I am."  
  
"I have a confession to make, too," Veronica answered. "Before Finn and I first got caught in the time warp, we were talking about you. I told her that I would consider going to London with you when you went back home."  
  
"Really?" Ned asked, surprised and excited at the same time.  
  
"Yes," Veronica replied. "Only now, I don't know if I'll have the chance. But, I'm not going to let that ruin my night. A wise old woman recently told me that I should grab onto happiness now, and worry about the future later."  
  
Ned looked over to where Marguerite was peacefully laying in Roxton's arms, and laughed. "You're just lucky that 'wise old woman' is asleep. She'd have your head for that comment."  
  
Veronica laughed as Ned pulled her against him. They both looked up at the sky. "So where does this leave us?" Veronica asked.  
  
"I know where I would like it to leave us. We've danced around the issue for so long, with both of us too scared to take a chance. I want to take that chance. I want to see once and for all if we could be more than friends."  
  
"I'd like that," Veronica answered, as Ned leaned in to kiss her again. As they broke away, Veronica noticed something moving in the sky. "Look," she said. "A shooting star."  
  
"Make a wish," Ned whispered.  
  
"I don't have to," Veronica answered. "Mine just came true." She snuggled closer to him, and he gently planted a kiss on her forehead.  
  
TBC 


	18. Avalon

A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, but it will be worth it. Hope people are still reading!!! I'm very excited because I'm finally getting to the really good parts of the story. Hope you like it! Please R/R!!  
  
The final day of the journey had arrived. The explorers were up at  
dawn, had a quick breakfast, and set out. Each was eager to see what the day held for them. By noon, the group had already experienced a great deal of confusion and disorientation. The land around them was strange and unfamiliar. More accurately, it was familiar, but out of place. They kept passing places that had once been closer to the tree house, but were now relocated. Challenger analogized it to a puzzle fitted together wrong. Nothing looked as it should - at least not to them. But in actuality, the Plateau was back to the way it was supposed to be - the balance of power was restored. However, it made for a more dangerous trek for the travelers. Things were rearranged so that they never knew what they would run into next, or where to hide or escape from enemies. They ran into many dinosaurs, and even a few cannibals throughout the day. The only thing that kept them alive was their instincts and their weapons. They especially relied on Roxton and Veronica's heightened senses.  
  
Near evening, the group was exhausted. They were a little disheartened. Because of all of the interruptions, they hadn't made it very far that day. Each was preparing themselves for at least another day of traveling before they reached their destination. Finn's suspicions returned, as she reminded herself that they had no idea where their destination was. Only Veronica remained hopeful. She knew her mother would not let her down. It was because of her that the others decided to keep moving, even though it was their usual time to stop for the night. As hungry and tired as they all were, they knew they had to do this for Veronica. If she still had hope, they weren't going to take it away from her - at least not yet.  
  
However, two hours after dark, Finn decided that someone needed to speak up. "Vee, we've been traveling forever. I think it's time we stopped for the night. We can start again in the morning."  
  
Veronica looked at Finn with a determined look in her eyes. "No. My mother told me to pack for three days and three nights. She knew we would arrive on the third night, and I'm not stopping until I find it."  
  
Finn knew it would be unwise to say anything to Veronica about her suspicions that perhaps Avalon didn't exist at all. The others would never forgive her. But, it was getting late, and the group needed their rest - especially if they really were going to be going on a quest in the near future. "Vee, maybe she just couldn't foresee the problems we would have on this journey - especially everything we went through today. It's possible that we're still another half a day away from Avalon."  
  
But Veronica was adamant. "Look, I really appreciate all of you coming with me. And if you want to stop for the night, that's fine. But I know in my heart that I'm doing the right thing, so I'm going to keep going."  
  
Roxton spoke up. "We'll see this through with you, Veronica. We promised you that, and we're sticking to it." He shot a look at Finn.  
  
"Vee, I'm sorry. If you feel that this is right, then of course we're with you."  
  
Veronica smiled at her friends. But her smile soon faded into a look of surprise. "What is it?" Malone asked.  
  
"It's the Trion," Veronica answered, reaching for the amulet around her neck. "It feels warm." She closed her eyes, still grasping her mother's symbol. Then, suddenly, she opened her eyes, and turned towards a nearby hillside. "It's that way," she said, as she started walking to the hillside. The others followed. When she reached the top of the hillside, Veronica gasped. There before her was the misty valley where she had met her mother in her dream. "We're here!" she exclaimed. She picked up her pace down the hillside and into the valley. The mist began to clear a path, and Veronica and her friends followed it until they reached a stone barrier. What seemed at first glance to be a large wall turned out to be the base of a mountain.  
  
"Now what?" Marguerite asked.  
  
"I don't know," Veronica replied. "But this has to be right. The Trion is warmer than ever."  
  
Everyone began to examine the rocky terrain in front of them. "Perhaps we're supposed to climb," Challenger suggested.  
  
"Let's hope not, George," Roxton said. "We're hardly equipped for such a task.  
  
"I think I found something!" Malone yelled from a few feet away. Everyone gathered around him to examine the area in front of him. There, carved into the mountain, was a Trion, much like the carving where Veronica had recovered her childhood memories.  
  
"This is it!" Veronica exclaimed. "This is the way to Avalon."  
  
"No way, Vee," Finn protested. "Remember what happened the last time you used one of those things - we almost lost you."  
  
"I have no choice, Finn. My mother wouldn't do anything to hurt me. You just have to trust me."  
  
"I do trust you, Vee. Just be careful," Finn relented.  
  
Veronica smiled. She removed the Trion from around her neck. Ned gave her hand a quick squeeze. She approached the mountain, fitted the Trion into the carving, and backed away. At first, nothing happened. But, after a few moments, the wall of the mountain began to fold inward, forming a passage. When all of the commotion was over, and everything seemed safe, Veronica led her friends into the cave, removing the Trion on her way in. When the last person was in, the wall closed again. Torches lined the walls of the mountain, as if someone had been expecting them to come through. Of course, Veronica knew, someone had indeed been expecting them.  
  
They walked through the cave until they reached the other side of the mountain. There was another carving, and Veronica again inserted the Trion to open the way. What they found on the other side amazed them. It was the most beautiful place any of them had ever seen. Finn was especially amazed, having grown up in a desolate looking place on the same Plateau. "Avalon," Veronica whispered. No one moved. They just stared at the silver moonlight gleaming on the bright green trees and crystalline river. It was amazing.  
  
However, their reverie was interrupted by the approach of figures from the mist. Each of the travelers quickly put hand to weapon - everyone except Veronica, who was usually the most cautious of them all. The reason for Veronica's calm attitude was that she recognized the attire of the strangers - and she was in awe of them. "Avatars," she said, breathlessly. "My mother's warriors."  
  
Her friends relaxed as the men grew closer. There were six of them. One of them was particularly decorated, and Veronica assumed that he was the leader of the Avatars. When the warriors reached the group, they all dropped to one knee and bowed down in front of the women. The warriors first turned toward Veronica. "Hail to the Protector's Daughter," the leader declared. "Hail!" The warriors replied.  
  
Turning to Marguerite, the leader said, "Hail to the Chosen One." "Hail!"  
  
Finally, turning to Finn, "Hail to the Child of Hope." "Hail!"  
  
Challenger, Malone, and Roxton exchanged glances of confusion mingled with amusement. The group had finally made it to Avalon, and apparently there were more surprises waiting for them than they had bargained for. 


	19. The Palace

The men weren't the only ones exchanging confused glances. Marguerite, Veronica, and Finn were a little taken aback at their greeting. They were all aware of Veronica's status as the Protector's Daughter. Her welcome was to be expected. But, what was this business about The Chosen One and the Child of Hope? Marguerite had been called that before, but she had no idea what it meant. Finn was even more clueless about her title. However, it seemed that all of their questions would soon be answered-at least they hoped so. The Avatar warriors rose, and their leader addressed Veronica. "Your mother has long awaited your arrival. She will be pleased that you are here. I am Shonto, leader of the Avatars. Come, I will lead you to the Protector."  
  
Shonto turned and began to lead the way. The explorers paired off, and the rest of the warriors surrounded them protectively as they walked. The entire party seemed speechless. Ned and Veronica were the first in line behind Shonto. Ned knew that the confusion about Marguerite and Finn was not the first thing on Veronica's mind. He knew her heart was about to burst with the excitement and nervousness about seeing her mother again. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and was rewarded with a smile. Behind them, Roxton and Marguerite exchanged glances. She shot a vexed look in response to his quizzically amused one. She knew that the thought behind his look was some quip about how she must love having people bow to her as if she were queen-either that, or he was thinking that being the Chosen One made it more likely that she was the crone in hers and Ned's theory of Avalon. At any rate, she knew that he deserved the reprimanding look he was getting from her.  
  
Challenger and Finn contented themselves with taking in their surroundings, both lost in thought. The group was walking through a large thicket of tall, leafy trees. The leaves glistened, and seemed almost silver to Finn. Avalon seemed to grow more and more beautiful the longer she was there.  
  
The group soon came to the end of the thicket, and, through the fog, on the other side of the trees was the most breathtaking site yet. . . . .the palace of Avalon. It stood isolated on a hill top. The structure itself was designed like a typical medieval castle. But there was something about this castle that made it more than just an average building. It wasn't made of the drab, grey stone that castles were normally made of. This one was white marble with crystal windows outlined in gold. It was like something out of a dream. As they grew closer to it, thoughts were running rampant through everyone's mind. Veronica couldn't believe that her mother lived in this. . . . . this paradise, and that someday it might be hers. Ned couldn't wait to write a description of the palace in his journal. Only Roxton seemed dissatisfied. "I thought the Avatars were a fighting race," he commented to Shonto, motioning to the Palace.  
  
"Don't let the Palace fool you," Shonto replied. "Avatar warriors are a fierce race. But we are that way because we have to be. We have to protect the Plateau. But this Palace has been here for centuries. It was built during more peaceful times when Avalon was truly a paradise. Our villages reflect the change of the times. You cannot see any of them from here. They are built in protective places, designed to surround and defend the Palace. We live very simple lives. The Protector herself doesn't spend much time in the Palace. She usually stays in the villages with her people. She says she would rather be among us, doing everything she can to protect the Plateau, than to be sitting high and mighty on a hill while we do her bidding." He looked at Veronica. "Your mother is very honorable. You have much to be proud of."  
  
Veronica smiled. She was indeed very proud of her mother. The others smiled too, knowing that Veronica had inherited her mother's selflessness.  
  
As the group reached the castle, the doors opened suddenly, and there stood a woman clad in a shimmering white dress, a modest jeweled tiara resting in the upswept golden hair, and a gold cape draped over one shoulder. "Mom!" Veronica cried out, as she raced into the waiting arms of Abigail Layton. "Veronica! How I've missed you!" Both women were crying tears of joy. After a few minutes, Veronica broke away and began to introduce her mother to her friends. "Mom, I'd like you to meet my friends. . . .my family really. This is Professor George Challenger, leader of the expedition from London to the Plateau."  
  
"It is an honor and a privilege to meet you, my Lady," Challenger said, kissing Abby's hand. Marguerite couldn't help but roll her eyes at Challenger's ceremoniousness. "Please," Veronica's mother replied, "call me Abby, all of you."  
  
Veronica continued through the introductions, blushing a little when she described Ned as a very talented American journalist.  
  
"I'm so pleased to meet you all," Abby said when Veronica had finished. "It means so much to me that you have been a family to Veronica. It is one thing I have always regretted that I could not give her."  
  
"Veronica means a lot to us," Roxton replied. "We wouldn't be alive if it weren't for her. That is why we want to help her on this quest in any way that we can."  
  
"I am very grateful for that. And we will talk about the quest tomorrow. But you have had a long journey. Tonight, you must rest. Tomorrow is a big day. In the meantime, I will show you to your quarters. Thank you for bringing them, Shonto. Let the people know that there will be a great celebration tomorrow night in honor of our guests."  
  
"Of course, Abby." Veronica couldn't help but notice the look that passed between her mother and the leader of the Avatars. She was certain that a blush briefly passed over her mother's face.  
  
Abby put her arm around Veronica and led the group into the castle. The inside was even more magnificent than the outside. Everything around them seemed to be made of crystal, precious metals, and gems. Upon seeing Marguerite's expression, Roxton, amused, made a mental note to search her for any stolen items before they left the Palace.  
  
"We have so much to talk about, Veronica," Abby said to her daughter. "And I don't mean the quest. I want to know all about you. You've become such a lovely young woman, and I am so proud of you. I only regret that we won't have much time together-at least not before the quest. But, I was hoping you would meet me tomorrow morning in the courtyard, and we could have breakfast-just the two of us. That will be mother-daughter time. Then, over lunch, I can explain everything about the quest to you and your friends."  
  
Veronica smiled. "That sounds wonderful, Mom. I can't believe I'm finally with you again! There were times when I thought this day might never come. I missed you so much!"  
  
"I know, sweetie. I missed you, too. Every day." Abby stopped in the hall of the upstairs east wing. "Well, here we are." Abby assigned bedrooms to the group, told them to let her know if they needed anything, and said good night, once again embracing Veronica.  
  
The six bedrooms were virtually identical. They were very elaborate, with king size beds, lavish chaise lounges, and large ornate wardrobes. There were satin sheets on each bed, and there were fresh night clothes sitting on each person's chaise lounge. The explorers had said their good nights, and retired to their own rooms. Ned didn't linger long in his room, though. He changed into the night clothes that were laid out for him, went across the hall, and knocked on Veronica's door. When she called for him to enter, he opened the door to find her sitting on the lounge in a beautiful blue silk nightgown. She looked absolutely beautiful.  
  
"Hi," Ned greeted her.  
  
"Hi," Veronica said shyly. She felt a little foolish being shy in front of him. After all, she was wearing more now than she did on a day to day basis. So why did she feel so exposed sitting here in this nightgown?  
  
Ned walked over to join her on the lounge. "So this was a big night for you, seeing your mother again."  
  
"Yes, it was. Oh Ned! I'm so happy to see her again. It's like a dream come true. All these years, I've been searching for my parents. And then I recovered my memories, and I realized I would never see my father again. But, I kept hoping that somehow, someday, I would see my mother. And here we are, together again, in this amazing Palace in Avalon."  
  
"It is pretty amazing."  
  
Veronica smiled. "I'm surprised you're not writing about it in your journal right now."  
  
"Well, I was tempted," Ned replied. "But I'd rather be here, sharing this moment with you." He took her hand.  
  
"Thank you for being here, Ned."  
  
"There's no place in the world I'd rather be," he replied, leaning in to kiss her.  
  
Meanwhile, a few doors down, Lord John Roxton was trying to be discrete while sneaking from his room to Marguerite's. He eased the door open, crept into the room, slowly closed the door, turned. . . . .and ran right into the heiress. "AHHH! Oh Marguerite, you scared me half to death!"  
  
"A little jumpy, are we Lord Roxton?" she asked, amused.  
  
"Nothing a good night's sleep won't cure," he said, leading her to the bed. 


	20. Tea For Two

A/N: If you're still reading this, thank you! I know I tend to appear and disappear randomly. Time constraints have been terrible. But, I received an e-mail request to continue, and things are calming down a bit. So, I'm going to try very hard to do a chapter a week. I know its not a lot, but hopefully, the story will be worth it. I've had it planned out for some time now, and I'm too caught up in it to abandon it. Hope you enjoy!!  
  
Veronica's eyes slowly peeled open, and a smile spread across her face. She had two reasons for her happy demeanor this morning. The first was being reunited with her mother. Veronica had dreamt of that moment since she was eleven years old. And when she saw her mother again, it was like no time had passed. Being with her again offered a comfort that Veronica hadn't felt since she was a child.  
  
The second reason for Veronica's happiness was Ned. She had missed him so much while he was away, and now things were better than ever since they had admitted their feelings for each other. Last night had been wonderful, though it hadn't been a late night as both were exhausted from traveling. They had shared many soft, sweet kisses before Ned tucked her into bed and went back across the hall to his own room. Part of Veronica wished that he had stayed in her room, but there was another part that loved him more for wanting to take their relationship one step at a time.  
  
Still lost in thought, Veronica rose from her bed and began to dress. Then, she proceeded to the courtyard to meet her mother for breakfast. As she stepped outside, she noticed her mother and Shonto in conversation. Instead of the billowing gown of the night before, her mother was dressed in Avatar garb, just as she was on the day that she left Veronica as a child. Veronica noticed that her mother and Shonto were both smiling. Upon seeing Veronica approaching, Shonto briefly took Abby's hand into his, kissed her cheek and left.  
  
"Good morning, darling," Abby said, hugging her daughter.  
  
"Good morning, Mom," Veronica replied.  
  
Abby looked a little apprehensive as she led Veronica over to the gazebo in the center of the courtyard. There was a large spread of fruits on the table, as well as tea and juice. As the ladies sat down, Abby said, "I suppose you saw the exchange between Shonto and me just now," she said.  
  
"Yes," Veronica replied. "I sensed last night that there was something going on between you."  
  
Abby cast her eyes down. "Is it that obvious?"  
  
"Yes," Veronica replied, smiling. "And I want you to know that I'm happy for you."  
  
Abby looked up, happily surprised. "Oh Veronica, really?"  
  
"Of course, Mother. I mean, all I ever wanted was to have you and Daddy back in my life again. You seem to know what has been going on with me since you left, so I'm guessing that you know that until recently, I didn't remember what happened the day you left. I thought that you and Daddy went out to collect samples. I blocked out the memories of Daddy's death." Both Veronica and Abby had tears in their eyes as Veronica continued. "But now that I remember what happened, and I know that Daddy has been gone for years, all I want is for you to move on with your life and be happy. And I know Daddy would want you to be happy too."  
  
"I'm so glad that you understand. Your father was a wonderful man, and no one could ever replace him. For a long time, I didn't think I would ever be able to love anyone again. Shonto has been my trusted friend and advisor for years. But recently, within the last year, things began to change between us. It's an amazing feeling to wake up one morning and realize that you're in love with your best friend."  
  
Veronica couldn't help but smile. "I know exactly what you mean," she said.  
  
"Yes," Abby replied, "I can tell that things are going well between you and Ned. Tell me about him."  
  
"He's wonderful, Mom. I only wish it hadn't taken me so long to realize it. When the Challenger Expedition first came to the Plateau, I felt something between Ned and me, but things always seemed to get in our way. He had a girl back home who was more interested in being with an adventurer. After awhile, I think he accepted that she wouldn't wait for him. But at that point, my first priority was searching for you and Daddy, and I think I guarded my heart against him. So, his head started being turned by other women that we met on our travels. I struggled with my feelings for so long. Finally, I told him we could only be friends. But, when he went away to travel the Plateau, I realized that I was in love with him. Recently, we admitted our feelings to each other, and things are starting to look up. I have to admit though, I'm still scared. Not of Ned, but of this quest you're sending us on. If I fail, you said I have to stay on the Plateau. And if I stay here, I lose Ned. He's not like Daddy, Mom. He wouldn't be content here. Even if he did stay at first, he would eventually become miserable and he would have to go back to his world. And I'm torn, Mom. If I do succeed on this quest, I can go to London with Ned. But I'll have to leave you just when I've found you again."  
  
"Oh Veronica! I'm so sorry you're in this position. I wish I didn't have to send you on this quest. But it's your destiny. . . our destiny. I'm going to do everything I can to see that you succeed on it. And as for what happens afterwards, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. However, if you do succeed on your quest, I would advise you to go on with your life and go to London with Ned. I would never want you to give up your happiness with him to stay here with me. Besides, if this quest is successful, you will be able to come and go from the Plateau when and if you please." Abby could see the mixture of hope and fear in Veronica's eyes. "But enough about that. There will be plenty of time for talk of the quest at lunch with the others. I want to hear more about you. It's true that I know some things about your life since we've been apart, but not nearly as much as I'd like to." So, Veronica proceeded to tell her mother about her childhood with Assai and Danu as playmates, her close ties with the Zanga and the Amazon over the years, and all of the many adventures that had occurred when the Challenger Expedition found its way onto the Plateau. When Veronica began to talk about Summerlee, she noticed a strange look pass over her mother's face. She was about to question it, when they were interrupted by one of the Avatar's, who needed to call Abby away. "Veronica, dear, I'm sorry. I need to take care of a few matters this morning, but I will be back here for lunch in a few hours, and we will discuss the quest that you and your friends will embark on." She paused, looked at Veronica, and smiled. "Thank you for sharing your memories. It means so much to me to know what it was like for you growing up." Veronica wordlessly stood up and hugged her mother. "I'll see you soon, darling," Abby said, as she started to walk with the Avatar warrior. "Bye, Mom," Veronica replied. She sat down again and continued to drink her juice.  
  
Meanwhile, back in the palace, Marguerite lazily rolled over to avoid the sunlight that was streaming into the window. When she reached for a pillow, she was startled to find Lord John Roxton on the other side of the bed.  
  
"Roxton! What are you still doing here?" she loudly whispered, shaking him.  
  
Roxton awoke abruptly, confused by the heiress's behavior. "What do you mean what am I doing here? Don't you remember what went on last night?"  
  
A smile played on Marguerite's lips as she thought back to the events of the previous night. "Of course I remember. What I meant was, I thought you would go back to your own room before daybreak, so that no one would catch us here like this."  
  
"Oh surely you're not getting modest on me now. It's not in your nature." Roxton said, pulling her in for a kiss.  
  
Marguerite returned his kiss, then pulled away. "You're right. Modesty isn't in my nature. But neither is disrespect, and I don't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable, and I certainly do not want Veronica's mother to know what we've been doing in her house."  
  
Roxton nodded. Marguerite was right. And for his part, he hadn't been acting like much of a gentleman lately. But he couldn't help it. The heiress had a maddening way of making him forget himself. He rose, put on his robe, and leaned down to the bed for one more kiss. "Want to take a walk around the grounds before lunch?" he asked.  
  
Marguerite nodded. "Meet me downstairs in half an hour."  
  
Finn was just stepping out of her room, when she heard Marguerite's door open. She stepped back into her room, and peaked through the doorway to see Roxton, clad in a robe, exiting the room. Finn stifled a giggle as he crept soundlessly into his own room.  
  
A/N: The next chapter will be the meeting about the quest!! 


	21. The Quest

Ned had been up since dawn thinking about Veronica, wanting to be with her. But, he knew how important it was to have time with her mother. So, he had risen, dressed and passed the time by writing in his journal. Before he had gone on his journey, he had sworn that he would start being a man of action and that he would save writing for when he was old. He finally realized that had been foolish. He didn't have to sacrifice writing for action. He could still document adventures, only now, some of them would be his own. And the adventure that he was on now was the most exciting of his life....he could feel it. He could feel that the mystery surrounding this lost world was about to be unveiled...that all of the secrets and enigmas that had haunted them since they arrived would finally be understood. And what made the adventure even better, even more exciting, was that he was going through all of it with Veronica, the love of his life, along with three of the best friends he had ever known. After all they had been through together, he trusted Challenger, Roxton, and Marguerite with his life. And though he hadn't known her long, Finn added another element of excitement to the adventure. After all, what quest would be complete without a feisty girl from a strange future world?  
  
After a few hours, Ned had decided that Veronica and her mother were probably done with their meal, and went to investigate. He found her alone, sitting in the gazebo with her back towards him. He approached her and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. Veronica looked over her shoulder and smiled. Ned leaned down and kissed her. "Good morning," he said.  
  
"Good morning," Veronica answered. Both felt the heat that had suddenly rushed to their faces, and wondered how long it would be before the shyness wore off.  
  
"Want to go for a walk?" Ned asked. "I want to hear all about your time with your mother."  
  
"I'd like that," Veronica replied. They began wandering around the grounds, holding hands and talking. Ned was intrigued when Veronica mentioned the strange look on her mother's face at the mention of Summerlee.  
  
"So, do you think that Summerlee has something to do with this quest?" Ned asked.  
  
"I don't know," Veronica said. "But I hope so. I want to believe he's alive. I miss him so much." Ned squeezed her hand. He knew that for Veronica, Summerlee's arrival on the Plateau was a bit like having her father back. They had shared a love of art and flowers. Veronica loved his gentle demeanor and missed their conversations.  
  
They stopped walking, each thinking about the lost member of their family. Veronica turned toward Ned, and he brushed a hand against her cheek. As Veronica looked into his eyes, she was amazed at how much they could say to each other without using words. Ned was about to lean in for a kiss when...  
  
"Hey guys!" Finn yelled from a few yards away. She picked up her pace and ran over to the couple.  
  
Veronica pushed the disappointment out of her face and turned to smile at Finn. "Good morning, Finn. Have you seen any of the others this morning?"  
  
Finn giggled. "What?" Veronica asked.  
  
"Well, I did see Roxton this morning."  
  
"Okay, am I missing something here?" Ned asked. "Why is that so funny?"  
  
"Because he was coming out of Marguerite's room in his robe. He didn't see me though."  
  
Ned and Veronica exchanged an amused sideways glance, but Veronica maintained her composure. "Finn, you really shouldn't be spying on Roxton and Marguerite. What they do is none of our business."  
  
"Hey, I wasn't spying. It's not my fault that he waited that long to leave her room, and I just happened to be leaving at the same time. Besides, Vee, you can't tell me that you're not the least bit curious about those two."  
  
"Well I know better than to risk Marguerite's wrath by talking about what they've been up to. If I were you, I wouldn't mention this again. Anyway, what are you doing out here?"  
  
"I was exploring the grounds. I was on the top of that hill over there and I spotted a cottage, so I thought I'd check it out. That's when I saw you two."  
  
"A cottage over here? The Avatar homes are all in the other direction," Ned said.  
  
"I know," said Finn. "That's why I wanted to check it out."  
  
"Ok, well, we'll go with you," Veronica told her.  
  
The three set out for the cottage, and didn't get very far when they spotted the hunter and the heiress leaning against a tree, engaged in what appeared to be a very passionate embrace. Ned cleared his throat and turned away, Veronica turned red, and Finn giggled until Veronica elbowed her. "Quiet!" Veronica whispered.  
  
"What? They're bound to see us anyway."  
  
"Not necessarily," Ned said. "Let's back up a bit, and make our entrance a little noisier. That will give them time to regain their composure, and they'll never know we saw them."  
  
"Sounds like a plan," said Veronica.  
  
"I don't understand what the big deal is," Finn said as they retraced their steps. "They obviously don't care what anyone thinks or sees, so why should we act like we don't know what's going on."  
  
"It's not like they were out in the open, Finn. They probably didn't expect any of us to be around this side of the grounds."  
  
"Besides," Ned added, "they haven't had much time to themselves since we started out on our journey. And who knows what we'll encounter—they're just taking advantage of the time that they have, and there's nothing wrong with that." Veronica turned to look at Ned, pondering what he said. But she knew she couldn't question him about it with Finn there.  
  
"Ok, I think this is far enough," Ned said. The three then proceeded forward, speaking loudly about the palace and the grounds and how beautiful everything was. When they reached the tree line again, Marguerite and Roxton were standing five feet apart, seemingly engaged in casual conversation.  
  
"Hey, what are you two doing here?" Veronica asked, playing dumb.  
  
"We were just taking a walk before lunch," Roxton answered. "Looks like you had the same idea."  
  
"Finn spotted a cottage out this way," Ned said. "We came to investigate."  
  
"We'll join you then," said Roxton.  
  
"Does anyone know where Challenger is?" Marguerite asked.  
  
"Probably checking out the insect life of Avalon," Finn quipped.  
  
The group approached a clearing, where they saw a cottage with a white picket fence, and extraordinary gardens that seemed to go on for miles. Just as they came to the gate of the fence, Shonto stepped out in front of them, seeming to come from out of nowhere. "Pardon the intrusion," he said, "but you should start back to the palace. It is almost time for your meeting with the Protector."  
  
"Of course," Veronica responded, "I didn't realize how late it was."  
  
The group turned around and headed back to the Palace. It didn't escape Roxton's attention that Shonto did not follow them. He didn't think it was a coincidence that they were intercepted before they saw what or who was inside the cottage. But, he didn't say anything because he was afraid that Veronica would think he was implying that her mother was lying to them or hiding something. And, while in his mind that was a possibility, he would never make an accusation without proof. He knew how much Veronica's mother meant to her, so he decided to give Abby the benefit of the doubt.  
  
[A/N: This part is all Abby talking. The next chapter will be a narrative of everyone's reactions as they listen]  
  
An hour later, lunch was over, and Abby was ready to explain everything. Veronica, Finn, and the four explorers were seated in a meeting room at a large round table. "What I am about to tell you may be difficult to understand, even in light of everything that you have already discovered and experienced on this Plateau. I know you'll have many questions along the way. But, I'm asking you to have faith in me, and listen carefully to what I say. I will answer everything." Everyone looked thoughtfully at Abby and nodded.  
  
"Now, during lunch, I asked all of you what you know about Arthurian legend, and you told me all of your theories about Avalon. I'm about to tell you the truth about Avalon. You were right about a lot of things, and I will help you understand how you fit into all of it. We'll start with the women of Avalon....Igraine's daughters...Arthur's sisters. Elaine, Morgause, and Morgaine. And, yes, Marguerite, they form the Triple Goddess. They kept the balance in Avalon. When Arthur died, his body was sent on a fiery funeral pyre through the water to Avalon. Back then, Avalon was located in England, around the Salisbury Plains. Avalon is transcendent—it only needs a place of great energy to exist. The Salisbury Plains is such a place, as is evidenced by Stonehenge. The prophecy was that Arthur would reign again when it is his time. That time is now. Ever since he died, the descendents of the women of Avalon have kept the balance...they have been the Protectors of Avalon. A few centuries ago, Avalon made its move from Salisbury to this Plateau. England was becoming too risky—the energy in Salisbury was not as strong as it once was, presumably because of the growing population and advances in technology. Avalon could have been compromised. So, the Protector at the time used her power to move Avalon to this Plateau, which was the place of greatest energy. However, the movement of Avalon had a side effect. It acted like a magnet, attracting all different types of energy to this place to co- exist. That caused a shift in the balance—one that is not easily adjusted. Part of the problem is also negative energy in your world as well. The Great War did much damage to the balance, as much of the negative energy it created gravitated here. A few weeks ago, the balance was almost lost. But Veronica invoked the power of the Goddess by using the Protectors' symbol—the Trion. That has temporarily restored the balance. However, it cannot last forever. If the balance is not restored now, the Plateau will slowly start to deteriorate, and the future Protectors will have to struggle to keep it from falling apart. I do not know how long they would be able to hold it together. Only Arthur can restore the balance. It is his time to reign again. Only this time, he will not reign in Camelot. He will reign in Avalon.  
  
"This brings me to your part in this. As I stated, the Protectors are descendants from the line of Arthur's sisters. Veronica and I are no exception to this. That is why Veronica was able to invoke the power of the Triple Goddess. It is in her blood—part of her heritage. Veronica, you represent the present time. You, like Morgause, are the mother aspect of the Triple Goddess. Finn, you are a child of the future...a future descendant of Arthur. Technically, you do not exist in this time, but by a miracle, you are here. That means that you take Elaine's place as the maiden. As for you, Marguerite, I should tell you that Morgaine was the most powerful of Arthur's sisters. She has been reincarnated many times through the years. Marguerite, the body of the Druid priestess in the cave was not you...not exactly. It was Morgaine in one of her previous lives. Each of her incarnates has one similar trait—a birthmark. Marguerite, you have that birthmark. You are Morgaine reincarnated. And whether you realize it or not, you are the most powerful of any of her previous lives. You represent the past, and are therefore the crone in the Triple Goddess. This has been your destiny—all of you. The prophecy said that we would know when it was Arthur's time again when Morgaine's life force and the Protectors' blood line met up with the Child of Hope. Finn and Marguerite have transcended time, while Veronica has maintained stability.  
  
"As for the men, none of you are part of Arthur's bloodline. You are destined for this quest because you each embody an important trait—traits that were also embodied by people who were important in Arthur's life. Professor Challenger, you were chosen based on your intelligence. You truly are the greatest mind of your time, just as the magician, Merlin, was the greatest mind of his time.  
  
"Roxton, you were chosen because you are pure of heart, just as Sir Galahad was pure of heart. Galahad was the knight who retrieved the Grail for Arthur—he could only do so because he was pure of heart—he would do anything for God and country. You embody that kind of loyalty, that purity of heart, Roxton. You would have given your life in exchange for your brother's if you had the chance.  
  
"Ned, you were chosen because of your courage, just as Sir Lancelot was courageous. Lancelot had faults, but his bravery made him one of the most celebrated knights ever to sit at the round table. Until recently, you didn't realize your bravery, but it has always been there. You proved yourself in the Great War. Though you were just a correspondent, when you were put in a dangerous situation, you did not run from it. You accepted the dangers in order to deliver important information to the British.  
  
"Now, to explain the timing. Even after all of you were brought together, you still needed time to grow. Veronica, you needed to learn to trust these people. You had been on your own for too long. You had to learn to work together with others, instead of in solitude. Marguerite, you needed time to learn the art of selflessness. Morgaine has always been a very powerful woman, able to depend only on herself. You needed to overcome that and soften your heart towards others—learn to act with feeling and not just on your natural, self-serving instinct that is a centuries-old part of your character. Finn, you needed to be found, and once you came here, you needed to adjust to this world—to overcome the horrors that you experienced in your own time. Challenger, you needed time to learn to accept that science is not the be-all, end-all. That there are some things out there that cannot be explained or fixed with science—that there is magic in the world. Roxton, you needed time to overcome your guilt, and to realize that you deserve happiness. Malone, you needed time to realize your inner courage. Overcoming your downfalls have made you all stronger. And you will need that strength for your quest.  
  
"I can finally come to the point and tell you the quest. You are to find and bring back the Holy Grail. As you may know, the Grail was used at the Last Supper, and then again to collect the blood and sweat of Christ. It was in the possession of Joseph of Arimathea. The Grail was believed to have been a cup, but many speculated that it might be other things, among them, a crown—one that covers the entire head, and would therefore be able to hold liquid. Those speculators were in fact correct. The Grail is a crown...one that will be worn by the one who will become King Arthur.  
  
"This will not be an easy task, but without the Grail, Arthur cannot be restored. Arthur spent many years searching for the Grail. He did not know why he was so drawn to it. The truth is he did not need it in that lifetime. He needs it now. When Arthur's body was sent to Avalon, the women of Avalon performed a ritual with the Grail. They sent his spirit into it. Whoever finds the Grail and wears it will wield Arthur's power. But, there is only one who is destined for this. Many of Mordred's line, the evil side of Arthur's line, have tried to acquire the Grail, including Vordred and Mordren. If they would have succeeded, they would destroy the world by abusing Arthur's power. The women knew that Mordred and his line would look for the Grail, so they sent it into hiding, with many obstacles that could only be overcome by those in the prophecy. However, that does not stop Mordred's descendants from trying. And even after all of the efforts that have been taken, they may still be able to succeed. You will need to make sure that the Grail does not fall into the wrong hands.  
  
"This is the last piece of the puzzle. The person who is destined to take Arthur's place, the person who is meant to wear the Grail, is here in Avalon. He is living in a cottage on the other side of the grounds, among beautiful gardens. He came to us in much the same way that Arthur came to the women centuries ago. He arrived on a wooden raft, floating down the river. He had gone over a waterfall, but unlike Arthur, he was alive, though barely. The Avatars administered medicine and nursed him back to health. For many months, he was in and out—struggling between this world and the next. He has been here for a little over two years now, and is completely healthy again. The man who is destined to reign over Avalon is Arthur Summerlee."  
  
[A/N: ok, so you probably saw that one coming a mile away, but I'm going to cliff-hang it nonetheless. As I said, the next chapter will be reactions, both during and after that big long speech. Also, within the next four chapters, look for two old friends to return. You already know about Summerlee....the second is a surprise. ] 


	22. Reactions

A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter...I thought it would be interesting to pick out little parts of Abby's revelations and tell you what people thought of them. I put Abby's part in italics so that you know what each person is reacting to. These are only their thoughts—nothing is said outloud, as Abby is still talking while they're thinking.

CHALLENGER

_I do not know how long they would be able to hold it together. Only Arthur can restore the balance. It is his time to reign again. Only this time, he will not reign in Camelot. He will reign in Avalon.  
  
_"Absolutely fascinating...I always knew this had something to do with the energy surrounding the Plateau! But could it possibly be true that all of these legends are real? Yet it must be because I'm seeing it before my very eyes."

_Challenger, you were chosen based on your intelligence. You truly are the greatest mind of your time, just as the magician, Merlin, was the greatest mind of his time._

"Perhaps that's getting a bit carried away...I mean, I know I'm intelligent, but the greatest mind of all time? And comparing me to Merlin?? Preposterous! He was a magician...and I am a scientist. There is simply no comparison!"

_Challenger, you needed time to learn to accept that science is not the be-all, end-all. That there are some things out there that cannot be explained or fixed with science—that there is magic in the world._

"I can't imagine what the members of the Zoological Society would say if they knew that I'd taken even a slight belief in magic...but she's right. Science cannot explain everything. And this Plateau is the most magnificent mixture of magic and science."

_He has been here for a little over two years now, and is completely healthy again. The man who is destined to reign over Avalon is Arthur Summerlee._

"Summerlee!! Great Scott! He _is_ alive. And all this time he's been here. My old friend!" Then, an unusual event occurred—tears came to Challenger's eyes at the thought of seeing Summerlee again.

MALONE

_Only Arthur can restore the balance. It is his time to reign again. Only this time, he will not reign in Camelot. He will reign in Avalon._

"The stories are true! All of those stories from my childhood are true. I can't believe I'm living in the middle of an Arthurian legend! I used to dream about this when I was a boy. This is unbelievable!"

_That is why Veronica was able to invoke the power of the Triple Goddess. It is in her blood—part of her heritage. Veronica, you represent the present time._

"Veronica is a descendant of Arthur! This is amazing! Wait a minute...if all of the women are somehow related to Arthur, what if we are too...does that mean Veronica and I could be..."

_As for the men, none of you are part of Arthur's bloodline._

"Thank God!" 

_Ned, you were chosen because of your courage, just as Sir Lancelot was courageous._

"Oh great...I embody the traits of the knight who betrayed his king with the Queen."

_Lancelot had faults, but his bravery made him one of the most celebrated knights ever to sit at the round table. Until recently, you didn't realize your bravery, but it has always been there. You proved yourself in the Great War. Though you were just a correspondent, when you were put in a dangerous situation, you did not run from it. You accepted the dangers in order to deliver important information to the British._

"I guess I can't deny that I've finally found the courage somewhere inside of me. I'll just have to take care not to make the same mistakes that Lancelot made. He and Guinevere lived a tortured existence apart. I won't let that happen to Veronica and I....we will always be together, I'll make sure of it."

_Malone, you needed time to realize your inner courage._

"That journey was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. It was like everything happened for a reason—the poison darts bringing back the memories of the war. It was like the Plateau was calling to me—letting me know that I needed to discover my courage to prepare for this day."

_He has been here for a little over two years now, and is completely healthy again. The man who is destined to reign over Avalon is Arthur Summerlee._

"Summerlee! I knew he was alive! This is where he was contacting us from—when he said he was in the botanical gardens. He's been here all this time!"

VERONICA

_Only Arthur can restore the balance. It is his time to reign again. Only this time, he will not reign in Camelot. He will reign in Avalon._

"I'm a descendent of King Arthur? How is this possible? My entire life, I thought I was just the daughter of botanists...now it turns out I'm part of some kind of royal line?"

_The prophecy said that we would know when it was Arthur's time again when Morgaine's life force and the Protectors' blood line met up with the Child of Hope. Finn and Marguerite have transcended time, while Veronica has maintained stability._

"Marguerite is Morgaine reincarnated? And all of this was set up! We were supposed to meet. This isn't just my destiny....it's everyone's."

_Ned, you were chosen because of your courage, just as Sir Lancelot was courageous._

"Ned. I have to admit, when I first met him, I didn't know he had that kind of strength and courage in him. I thought he needed to be protected. Now, after his journey, he's been the one protecting me."

_Veronica, you needed to learn to trust these people. You had been on your own for too long. You had to learn to work together with others, instead of in solitude._

"But I was only alone because you and Daddy were taken away from me! I had to learn to depend on myself for my own survival!"

_He has been here for a little over two years now, and is completely healthy again. The man who is destined to reign over Avalon is Arthur Summerlee._

Veronica openly wept at the thought of Summerlee being alive. He had been like a second father to her, and she loved him dearly. It was almost too much to hope for that he was alive and in Avalon._  
_

FINN

_Only Arthur can restore the balance. It is his time to reign again. Only this time, he will not reign in Camelot. He will reign in Avalon._

"I can't believe it. All of the crazy theories that everyone has been tossing around are all true!"

_Finn, you are a child of the future...a future descendant of Arthur. Technically, you do not exist in this time, but by a miracle, you are here. That means that you take Elaine's place as the maiden._

"That is definitely the first time that anyone has ever referred to me as a maiden. This place is so amazing...so different from where I grew up. I can't believe that I'm the descendent of some king...I had to fight for my life in my own time."

_Finn, you needed to be found, and once you came here, you needed to adjust to this world—to overcome the horrors that you experienced in your own time._

"I can't believe this was all a set up. I am supposed to be here and Professor Maple White's theory that I caused the shifting planes of reality are all wrong. I didn't cause it! I'm here to help save it! That is such a relief! I was so scared that my being here was hurting the people who saved me."

_He has been here for a little over two years now, and is completely healthy again. The man who is destined to reign over Avalon is Arthur Summerlee._

"Arthur Summerlee? The guy they named the beetle after?" 

MARGUERITE

_Only Arthur can restore the balance. It is his time to reign again. Only this time, he will not reign in Camelot. He will reign in Avalon._

"The Triple Goddess theory was right! This is absolutely amazing......please don't let me be the crone!"

_That is why Veronica was able to invoke the power of the Triple Goddess. It is in her blood—part of her heritage. Veronica, you represent the present time. You, like Morgause, are the mother aspect of the Triple Goddess. Finn, you are a child of the future...a future descendant of Arthur. Technically, you do not exist in this time, but by a miracle, you are here. That means that you take Elaine's place as the maiden._

"Blast! That makes me the crone."

_As for you, Marguerite, I should tell you that Morgaine was the most powerful of Arthur's sisters. She has been reincarnated many times through the years. Marguerite, the body of the Druid priestess in the cave was not you...not exactly. It was Morgaine in one of her previous lives. Each of her incarnates has one similar trait—a birthmark. Marguerite, you have that birthmark. You are Morgaine reincarnated. And whether you realize it or not, you are the most powerful of any of her previous lives. You represent the past, and are therefore the crone in the Triple Goddess._

"Reincarnated? No...it's not possible...is it? I mean, it does make sense. All my life I've had these really strange feelings of déjà vu, and dreams that seemed so real...like shadows of past experiences. Is this why my mother abandoned me? Does it have something to do with my destiny...the power that I have?

_Roxton, you were chosen because you are pure of heart, just as Sir Galahad was pure of heart. Galahad was the knight who retrieved the Grail for Arthur—he could only do so because he was pure of heart—he would do anything for God and country. You embody that kind of loyalty, that purity of heart, Roxton. You would have given your life in exchange for your brother's if you had the chance._

"My sweet John. He has no idea how pure his heart is. He thinks it is tarnished because of what happened to William. He thinks his very soul is tarnished. But he is the best one of us all. He is the most honorable person that I know...and I love him with all of my heart."

_Marguerite, you needed time to learn the art of selflessness. Morgaine has always been a very powerful woman, able to depend only on herself. You needed to overcome that and soften your heart towards others—learn to act with feeling and not just on your natural, self-serving instinct that is a centuries-old part of your character._

"Is this why I've had problems trusting people my entire life? Because of who she was—who I was back then? Well no more. Lord John Roxton broke down that wall that she put up around herself all those centuries ago. I trust him, and I always will."

_He has been here for a little over two years now, and is completely healthy again. The man who is destined to reign over Avalon is Arthur Summerlee._

"Summerlee? He really is alive??" Marguerite was overwhelmed with emotion as she thought of the scientist. She hadn't been close to him, as the others had, and she'd always regretted it.

ROXTON

_Only Arthur can restore the balance. It is his time to reign again. Only this time, he will not reign in Camelot. He will reign in Avalon._

"The stories are true. Fantastic! I bet old Neddy boy can hardly control his enthusiasm...he lives for this kind of adventure. And the Triple Goddess is real...please let Marguerite be the crone!"

_That is why Veronica was able to invoke the power of the Triple Goddess. It is in her blood—part of her heritage. Veronica, you represent the present time. You, like Morgause, are the mother aspect of the Triple Goddess. Finn, you are a child of the future...a future descendant of Arthur. Technically, you do not exist in this time, but by a miracle, you are here. That means that you take Elaine's place as the maiden._

"Ha ha! That means Marguerite _is_ the crone!"

_As for you, Marguerite, I should tell you that Morgaine was the most powerful of Arthur's sisters. She has been reincarnated many times through the years. Marguerite, the body of the Druid priestess in the cave was not you...not exactly. It was Morgaine in one of her previous lives. Each of her incarnates has one similar trait—a birthmark. Marguerite, you have that birthmark. You are Morgaine reincarnated. And whether you realize it or not, you are the most powerful of any of her previous lives. You represent the past, and are therefore the crone in the Triple Goddess._

"Marguerite is reincarnated? I wonder how she's taking this. It can't be easy for her...especially given her past. She probably has so many questions."

_Roxton, you were chosen because you are pure of heart, just as Sir Galahad was pure of heart. Galahad was the knight who retrieved the Grail for Arthur—he could only do so because he was pure of heart—he would do anything for God and country. You embody that kind of loyalty, that purity of heart, Roxton. You would have given your life in exchange for your brother's if you had the chance._

"I would have given my life for William's...that's true. But I doubt that I'm worthy of being compared to one of the greatest knights to sit at Arthur's table. I still can't believe they really existed...that there really was a round table, and a grail."

_Marguerite, you needed time to learn the art of selflessness. Morgaine has always been a very powerful woman, able to depend only on herself. You needed to overcome that and soften your heart towards others—learn to act with feeling and not just on your natural, self-serving instinct that is a centuries-old part of your character._

"Hopefully I've helped her to learn that. She always put on that tough exterior, but I always knew there was a scared little girl inside—there is a part of her that hasn't been touched by Morgaine's iciness."

_Roxton, you needed time to overcome your guilt, and to realize that you deserve happiness._

"Yes...now all I want is a life of happiness with Marguerite. I know that William would have wanted me to go on with my life. And he would not want my guilt to keep me from being happy...especially when it comes to a woman as remarkable as Marguerite Krux."

_He has been here for a little over two years now, and is completely healthy again. The man who is destined to reign over Avalon is Arthur Summerlee._

"Summerlee's alive? Why, that old rascal...I always knew he had it in him to surprise us."


	23. Talking it out

"I know that what I have told you today is a lot to take in. I will leave you now to discuss what you have heard. This evening, after dusk, there is to be a feast in your honor in the ballroom. The Avatar people are eager to give you a proper welcome. Appropriate attire has been placed in each of your rooms."

"Wait a minute," Roxton said. "You just told us that a dear friend who has been missing for two years is alive. When can we see Summerlee."

"I was just about to ask Professor Challenger to accompany me on a visit to Professor Summerlee. It would be best if the rest of you would wait until tonight to see him. He will be invited to the feast, provided he is up to attending."

"Why do we have to wait?" Veronica asked, eager to see her friend.

Abby explained, "It is a difficult situation. You see, Professor Summerlee knows nothing about this quest, or even where he is. After we nursed him back to health, we put him in the cottage, with all of the comforts of home. We have stayed away since then, except to restock his supplies while he sleeps. The only visitors he has had are the Avatar children. They go to his cottage almost every day, and he teaches them about the plants and flowers in the gardens around his home. They do not know much of why he is here, and they are instructed not to tell him what little they do know. But, we needn't have worried. The Professor seems content with his situation, never questioning anything. I think he is just grateful to be alive."

"But why keep this from him?" Ned asked.

"We felt that this would be a great shock for him. And we were not even sure that the quest would happen at all. We thought it was best to wait until you were here. Then, he could be told by someone close to him. It will ease the shock."

Challenger finally spoke. "And that's what you want me to do—to explain to Summerlee that he is to be the next King Arthur."

"Are you up to the task, Professor?" Abby asked.

Challenger paused for a moment. "It seems as though there is no choice. It is Summerlee's destiny and therefore he must know about it. And you're correct—it should come from someone that he trusts."

"Then it's settled. Please follow me, Professor. I hope that I will see the rest of you at the feast tonight." Challenger followed Abby, who paused briefly behind Veronica to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly, then continued out of the palace.

The rest of the group sat in silence for awhile, each trying to put their thoughts together. Finally, Roxton decided to break the silence. "Well, Finn," he said to the youngest of the group, "it looks like you'll finally be able to meet Summerlee."

"I know!" Finn replied. "I've heard so much about him that I feel like I know him already."

"I can't believe he's really alive," Veronica said, wistfully.

"And we'll see him again tonight," Malone reminded.

The three of them continued to go on about Summerlee, with Malone and Veronica recounting stories, many of which Finn had heard numerous times before. Roxton, however, was concerned about the heiress. He reached over and brushed his hand over hers. "You ok?" he whispered.

Marguerite managed a small smile, but it faded fast. "I think so. I'm just a little shocked, that's all. I feel like I'm not myself. Like I'm this...this Morgaine. It's as if my entire life has been a lie."

Roxton squeezed her hand. "Now you know that's not true. I'm no expert on reincarnation, but I don't think it means that Morgaine is actually somewhere inside of you, forcing you to do things. You may have been reincarnated from Morgaine's soul, but you're the one in control—you're the one who gets to decide what to do in this lifetime. Your life has been and always will be your own."

Tears welled up in Marguerite's eyes—something that used to be a rare occasion, but had recently happened much more frequently than Marguerite would have liked. She was starting to get used to feeling. . . well, just feeling in general. But, she wasn't comfortable enough yet to let everyone see her during her weak moments. The only person that she could bear to see her cry was Roxton. It wasn't that she didn't trust the others, or that she was afraid of what they would think of her. But, there was just something so comforting and so special about having Roxton be the only person she completely bared her soul to. . . a soul that she had just learned was not completely her own. As if he could read her mind, Roxton rose, and pulled Marguerite up with him. He caught Ned's eye and nodded towards the stairs as he put his hand on the small of Marguerite's back, gently leading her out of the room.

Ned nodded back, indicating his understanding. He had noticed Marguerite's demeanor, and figured it was a good idea for Roxton to get her away from the crowd. She needed time to adjust to what she had just learned . . . what they had all learned about themselves and their journey. Actually, he had thought about taking Veronica away to talk alone for awhile, even though she wasn't in the kind of shock that Marguerite was. But, he had decided against it because he didn't want to leave Finn alone. There would be plenty of time to talk to Veronica later. In the meantime, he was intrigued by the plans for the evening—the feast in the ballroom. The Avitars were a fighting clan. Ever the journalist, he was very interested to see what kind of celebratory customs they have.

Challenger followed Abigail to the gate of the small cottage.

"Here we are, Professor Challenger."

"I have to admit I'm a little concerned about this. Summerlee is no spring chicken. Do you think his heart will be able to take the shock that he's about to receive?"

"I think Summerlee is open to believing just about anything now. He's not the same skeptic that he was when he left on the journey to the Amazon. Not only has he seen the Lost World and many of its secrets, but he survived a fall that he knows should have killed him. He knows something happened to him on his journey here. It's time for him to learn what that was—and what's in store for him."

"I suppose you're right," Challenger replied. "And I'd better get started. There's a lot to tell, and very little time if we want him to attend the feast tonight." Challenger knocked on the wooden door. They heard movement in the cottage, and moments later, Challenger found himself face to face with Arthur Summerlee for the first time in two years. Summerlee looked the same as he did on the day he went missing—perhaps he even looked a little younger.

"George?" Summerlee asked hopefully.

Challenger, overcome with emotion, managed to answer, "Yes, Arthur, it's me."

That was all Summerlee needed to hear, and the two friends embraced.

"I never thought I'd see any of the Challenger Expedition again," Summerlee said, as he pulled away to look at Challenger.

"We didn't think we'd see you again either. Not after that fall you took."

"Not that I'm not happy to see you," Summerlee began, "but how in the world did you get here?"

"That's what we're here to explain, among other things," Challenger answered.

"The others. . .how are they?" Summerlee asked.

"Everyone's just fine. They're not far from here, and they're hoping to see you tonight—if you're up to it. But first, we have much to talk about. I would like to introduce you to someone. Arthur Summerlee, this is Abigail Layton."

"Veronica's mother," Summerlee stated, a little amazed.

"Yes," Abby replied, taking his hand.

"Then she was right. Her parents are alive."

Challenger saw the pain that crossed over Abby's face, and felt the need to explain so that she would not have to. "Actually, Tom Layton was killed when Veronica was still a little girl, but she suppressed the memory. That's one of the things that we need to explain."

"I'm so sorry," Summerlee said to Abby.

"It's all right," Abby replied. "He will always be alive in my heart."

Summerlee realized that they were still standing in his doorway. "I'm so sorry. Where are my manners? Do come in."

Abby and Challenger settled onto a sofa and chair in Summerlee's sitting room, and Summerlee soon followed, bringing tea and cakes. The three spent the afternoon talking. Challenger began by telling Summerlee about everything that had happened since he left—about Finn, Ned's journey, and Veronica's recovered memories. Abigail joined into the storytelling as they recounted the events of the last few weeks. Then, Challenger let Abigail take over as she explained to Summerlee what had happened to him after he arrived in Avalon. Finally, they told Summerlee about the purpose of the journey, and his role in it.

"There must be some mistake," Summerlee said. "I'm not King Arthur."

"No," Abby said, "you're not King Arthur. But you are the one who is destined to wear his crown. And you are the one who is destined to rule Avalon. I know it sounds like some sort of legend or fairy tale, but if you search deep down, you'll know it's true—you'll feel it. It is a part of you. This is your destiny."

Later that evening, as dusk approached, the members of the Challenger Expedition were preparing for the feast. Challenger had returned from Summerlee's cottage, and Roxton had calmed Marguerite's fears.

Finally, Challenger, Malone, and Roxton, clad in suits, stood in the lavish hallway, waiting for the ladies to come out so that they could escort them downstairs. They could hear the hustle and bustle of the guests gathering below. It sounded like it was going to be quite a celebration. Roxton and Malone resisted the urge to ask Challenger what had happened with Summerlee. They knew it had been an emotional afternoon for Challenger, but the gleam in his eyes told them that their old friend had taken the news well, and would be joining them this evening.

The ladies had all gathered in Veronica's room to finish dressing. Marguerite had taken charge of the process, since neither Finn nor Veronica was accustomed to dressing for such occasions.

Finn was the first to emerge. She was wearing a simple, pale blue off-the-shoulder dress. Her hair was styled just as it always was, but somehow looked softer with a very thin crown of flowers on top of it. The men could hardly believe that this was the rebellious fighter that they knew. She looked like a lovely young debutante who was about to attend her first ball. Finn blushed as the compliments flew around. Then, Challenger took her arm, and descended the stairs to the ballroom.

Marguerite was next, dressed in a lavish deep purple dress with a fitted bodice and full skirt, and long black gloves. Her hair was pulled away from her face, with dark curls spilling down her back. She was gorgeous as always, but Roxton had another word in mind—majestic. She looked like royalty. Like she could be the wife of a nobleman. Roxton liked that thought. He leaned in to kiss her cheek, whispered sweetly into her ear, and escorted her downstairs.

Ned was left alone in the hall, waiting in anticipation for Veronica to emerge. In the meantime, Veronica was nervously taking a last glance in the mirror, wondering what her mother's people would think of her. A fleeting thought went through her mind—that these could be her people someday if she didn't succeed in this quest. But she pushed that thought out of her mind. "We're going to succeed in this," she said to herself. "I'm going to make sure of it—not only for Ned and me, but for all of these people—for the sake of this Plateau."

When she opened the door, she took Ned's breath away. She was wearing a beautiful, flowing mauve dress with a matching scarf, and her blonde tresses were swept up off of her neck. "You look stunning," Ned said. And, sensing her apprehension, he added, "They're going to love you." Veronica smiled at him, and they followed the others downstairs.


End file.
